When Our Eyes Meet
by Boys On Boysenberry-hime
Summary: Tala and Kai are together, basically happy, and very much in love, but when Boris finds out, everything falls apart. Slightly AU TalaKai Ch. 54 posted Dec 18, 2006.
1. Return

When Our Eyes Meet  
Tala's POV  
  
When you walked into the room that day, uncomfortably by Boris's side, I felt like I was seeing you for the first time. We had met before. Hell, we grew up together, but I had never looked at you the way I do now. You were just a pretty little child the last time I saw you, and now you had grown into a beautiful young man.  
  
Ne, Not a man, you're still just a boy. Sure, you carry yourself like a man, but your face is still that of a child. You still have the bright, innocent face of a child, no matter how old you feel inside.   
  
Your crimson eyes study us with an arrogance that only the grandson of Voltaire could possibly possess, but I know you too well, Kai. I know you're confused, desperate to uncover the deepest secrets of your past. I can see through you, because I know you better than anyone. Biovolt may think they know everything about you, but they know more compared to what I know. I understand you in a way that only your perfect inverse could.  
  
When our eyes meet, I know you'll remember, and I know you'll know. You'll know that what were once feelings of friendship and brotherly love have changed into something different, something much deeper. And I know those feelings will be like a voice screaming in your head. I know, because I feel it too. That obsessive feeling that borders on physical pain, throughout every inch of my body.  
  
Boris has already informed me, that as team captain, it's my job to keep you in line and make sure you learn your place. You, the rebellious Hiwatari brat, the free spirit, the one that got away. I even have permission to kill you, should you get out of hand and start to pose a threat to us. But how could I do that? How could I destroy such a beautiful gift that has been given to me?   
  
Finally, our eyes meet. Yours, the fiery red eyes of a phoenix, and mine, the cold blue eyes of a wolf. I am the inverse of you, and you are the inverse of me. We are complete opposites of each other, the way we were intended to be. The sole reason we exist is to compliment each other, to balance the other out. Two halves of a much more powerful whole.  
  
We have both been waiting a long time for this. What we have been searching for for so long, has finally been found. It's amazing how the body can lead us, even when the mind doesn't know what it is searching for. Somewhere, deep inside, we both knew. I know you understand the feelings that have been gnawing at the edges of your mind. I know this, because the moment I saw you, I understood them too.  
  
I have more to this story written, but I don't know if I'll post it or not. Let me know, tell me what you think. ^-^ 


	2. Moscow

When Our Eyes Meet - Chapter 2  
  
Normal POV  
  
The rain pounded down, slipping over the loose stones that covered the abbey roof, to drip over the side and puddle on the ground below. It was a hard, relentless rain, cold, but not cold enough to change to snow.   
  
  
  
On the roof, Kai stood, oblivious to the rain that soaked his clothes and plastered his slate colored hair to his face. Some kind of important Russian official was visiting Boris at the abbey, that night, so he required the entire Demolition Boy's team to dress in suits, in an attempt to make the abbey look like some kind of private school, rather than a institution for brainwashing young boys into weapons. Kai had escaped from the event as soon as possible, and retreated to the roof, the same place he had gone as a child. His tie had been loosened and his suit jacket discarded to lie in a heap on the roof and be soaked by rain.  
  
Folding his arms over his chest to conserve body heat, he stared out over the city of Moscow. Night had fallen, and the streets were empty, save for a few stray smugglers and black market dealers, that loitered in the darkest corners. Moscow had been that way for as long as Kai could remember, but he had never been sure what made the Muscovites more nervous, Komitet[1] or the imposing figure of the abbey looming over the city.  
  
Kai closed his eyes, secretly grateful to be back in Russia, and enjoying the cold rain on his face. it have been a long time since he felt something as raw as rain. The abbey had a way of smothering a person, making them feel less alive than they would anywhere else, which was why the abbey was such a perfect place for training boys for war. But Kai was determined not to fall victim to the abbey. His soul was his own, no matter what Boris or Voltaire tried.  
  
A soft noise caught Kai attention. It was an odd sound, like less rain was hitting the abbey roof in one spot. A normal person wouldn't have noticed, but Kai, who had been trained to notice such things, immediately recognized it. Someone else was on the roof. He looked to his right, not moving his head, just using his eyes to look. He couldn't see the face of the visitor because of the rain and the gloom, but could recognize the way he moved. He hid a smile and focused back on the city below. He should have known. Everyone else in the abbey may be ignorant to Kai's habits, but not Tala. He seemed to have a 6th sense about every action Kai took.  
  
Tala walked over, not bothering to try and hide his presence; Kai already knew he was there, so there wasn't any point in trying to sneak up. He should have known better anyway, it just wasn't possible to catch a Demolition Boy off guard, and Kai was no exception. As he walked over to stand beside him, Tala followed Kai's eyes down to Moscow. The boy had a slightly nostalgic expression on his face, like he was seeing something beyond the city itself. He glanced at Kai, suddenly realizing how different he looked with his hair soaking wet and falling to his shoulders. It made him look innocent, and Tala craved innocence.  
  
As he watched Kai, Tala began to notice the features of Kai's face and body that were distinctly Russian. No matter how the long he had been away, in Japan or elsewhere, there was no getting around it. In the way he looked, the way he spoke and even the way he moved, Kai was Russian. There was certain way that native Russians spoke that you could never learn in any language school.   
  
"Watching the hustle and bustle of Moscow nightlife are you?" Tala asked, stepping next to Kai. He knew Kai would appreciate the comment. Moscow was one of the few places that didn't have clubs and bars open to all hours of the night. No one wanted to be one the streets at night and risk running into police.   
  
Kai nodded. "Amazing. There's no other place in the world like this." he smiled. "Being in other cities makes you miss a place like Moscow."  
  
"Still a Muscovite at heart, I see." Tala murmured. He glanced over at Kai, giving him a smirk. "You know, you look pretty strange with your hair down like that."  
  
"Yeb vas.[2]" Kai growled. He glanced over, looking at Tala's own red hair, which had also fallen to his shoulders in the rain. "And you shouldn't be talking either."  
  
Tala shrugged off the insult and stepped closer to Kai. He rubbed a finger over the blue triangles on his face with a thoughtful expression on his face. The blue paint smudged across Kai's pale face. "And what's the deal with these, Kai? They make you look untouchable."  
  
Reaching up, Kai removed Tala's hand from his face. "That's the point, Tala."  
  
  
  
Tala pondered this for a moment and rubbed his fingers together, trying to wash the paint away in the rain. "Well. What would happen if they were gone then?" Kai looked at him in surprise, as Tala shrugged. He drew his hand into his sleeve and raised it to Kai's face. Using his other hand to hold Kai's head still, he rubbed the pain from Kai's face, not caring that he was getting blue all over his shirt. Kai obediently held still, until Tala finished.  
  
He raised an eyebrow, questioning why the other boy would take such an action, but Tala just shrugged.  
  
In all the time he had known Tala, Kai had never been able to completely understand the other boy's actions. Not only was it human nature to be secretive, but also as Demolition Boys, they had been trained to be especially unreadable and unpredictable.   
  
Tala's eyes traveled back down to the city. He scanned the few figures that still roamed the streets and pointed one out to Kai. "You see that man?"   
  
Kai followed his finger and saw a man wearing a black jacket, huddled against the rain. "Yeah."  
  
"That's Misha. He's a black market dealer, and he's always out, no matter what." He looked at Kai closely. "It's illegal to deal in currency, you know, but he can give you some great stuff for the things you've acquired while out of the country."  
  
"You think a black market dealer would care if it's illegal to deal in currency?"  
  
Tala shrugged. "His morals may surprise you." he watched Kai closely, wondering what was going on in his mind. Without thinking, he slipped his hand behind Kai's neck. Rubbing the boys hair through his fingers, he leaned forward until their foreheads touched. Kai was slightly shorter than Tala, so the water dripped off of his red hair and onto Kai's face, who blinked involuntarily every time one fell. "Without those things on your face, you don't look so untouchable." He said.  
  
Kai closed his eyes. "Hn."  
  
Tala blinked at his response before bursting into laughter. Kai opened his eyes, staring at him in wonder. He had never in his entire life, heard Tala laugh like that.   
  
"What's so funny?" he asked, slightly unnerved.  
  
"You." Tala replied, getting a hold on his laughter. He took the hand that wasn't behind Kai's neck and pointed his finger at Kai's forehead. "Tell me, is that equanimity of your natural, or is it something that Voltaire programmed into you?"  
  
Kai shook his finger away and scowled. "I can assure you it's a natural talent."  
  
"Is it?" Tala leaned forward until his lips were inches from Kai's. He hesitated, staring into Kai's deep crimson eyes. "Pozhalusta?"[3]  
  
Kai closed his eyes, and slowly turned away from Tala. He left his arms and headed back to the edge of the roof. Sitting down, he hung his legs over the edge. 'Russia. The red country. A place that practically bleeds sadness and tragedy.' He thought.  
  
Tala moved next to him and sat down. "Glad to be home?"  
  
Kai considered for a moment. "Yeah."  
  
Reaching over, Tala put his arm around Kai's shoulders and pulled him closer, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't stay out much longer or you'll get sick." He said. "You and I are going into the city tomorrow."  
  
Kai nodded as Tala got up and started back. He turned around and gave Kai one last look. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Welcome back."  
  
[1] The Committee for State Security, KGB  
  
[2] Russian for "fuck you"  
  
[3] Russian for "please"  
  
Please review! 


	3. Red Square

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! ^-^ And to answer your question Tahoma, I read those Russian phrases in a book. I know how to say fuck you, please, thank you, and a few other things. That's about all! Oh yes, and this IS yaoi.  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Chapter 3  
  
Normal POV  
  
After returning to his room and removing his wet clothes, Kai fell into a surprisingly undisturbed sleep. He wasn't sure what had relieved his nightmares, the unnerving yet familiar atmosphere of the abbey, or the feeling that had followed him since his talk with Tala on the roof. As much as Kai hated to admit it, he had missed Tala deeply. They had grown up together after all, and such bond weren't easily broken. He felt at ease around Tala, more so than he felt around others.  
  
He rolled over onto his back, enjoying the last few moments he had while on the border of sleeping and being awake. He could hear the silence of his room, and feel the cool air on his skin, but his eyes refused to open, and he remained halfway in a dream that he couldn't remember. He became aware of something warm and soft near his face, so he snuggled into instinctively. Opening his eyes slowly and surrendering to reality, he recognized pale skin and a familiar scent.  
  
Tala.  
  
He moved his head back, realizing he had been burrowing into the other boys neck. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling he had gotten, in fact in was quite comforting to him, he was just surprised to find Tala in his bed. When he had fallen asleep last night, he had been alone. Hadn't he? He frowned, trying to decide whether he could have forgotten something like Tala falling asleep in his bed.   
  
As he considered, Tala slowly opened his eyes, sensing Kai's movement. He blinked sleepily and mumbled a greeting. "You're finally awake."  
  
Kai looked at him and asked him very directly. "Were you here last night?"  
  
Sitting up, Tala tried to push his red hair into some semblance of order. "You mean you don't remember?" he asked. When Kai just blinked at him blankly, Tala realized that he was truly confused and decided not to play around with his mind, no matter how fun it was. "No, I wasn't here last night. I came this morning to wake you up." he shrugged. "You looked so peaceful I couldn't bear to wake you, I must have fallen asleep myself."  
  
"You're an idiot, Tala." Kai mumbled sleepily and rolled over, burying his head in the pillow and preparing to get some more sleep. He had been waking up at 4:30 every morning for what felt like his entire life. But now, he felt drained, exhausted from the rapid change in his lifestyle since he arrived in Russia. He felt he deserved to sleep a little later than normal.  
  
Tala gently shook Kai's shoulders. "No. Get up," he demanded. "I told you, we have to go into Moscow today, and Boris is only letting us stay out until noon."  
  
Kai mumbled something under his breath, hearing Tala's words but ignoring them for the most part. He was too tired to deal with Tala now. He did however; open his eyes slightly when Tala rolled him over onto his back.  
  
Tala shook his head, getting frustrated with Kai's lack of cooperation. He could think of a million things to say that would get Kai out of bed, but decided against all of them. Kai was the kind of person that reacted better to actions and not words. With that thought in mind, he took Kai's face in his hands and gave him a quick, noisy, kiss on the lips.  
  
That woke up Kai up completely, who lay there, staring up at Tala with an amazed expression on his face. He blinked, and then slowly sat up. "Alright, I'm up."  
  
Tala smiled and watched as Kai climbed out of the bed and started gathering clothes to go take a shower. He observed his movements carefully, committing everything to memory. As the slate haired boy finished gathering clothes, another thought came to Tala's mind.  
  
"Kai." He asked. "Do you have any spare beyblade parts with you?" The other boy nodded. "Bring them with you."  
  
Kai paused, holding his clothes and getting ready to go into the bathroom. "Can I at least shower first?"  
  
Tala smiled and flopped back on the bed, refrained from comment. It had been along time since he and Kai had seen each other, let alone been able to do anything. Although Moscow was basically the same place it had been when Kai had left, there were some minor changes Tala wanted to point out. That, and some minor business Tala had to take care of, which was the real reason Boris was letting them out of the abbey in the first place. It was never for nothing.  
  
Tala lay quietly, waiting for Kai and musing over the plans for the day. The business he needed to take care of could very well require them to walk all over Moscow, looking for someone who had a habit of disappearing every time Tala needed something. But at least with Kai around, it wouldn't be such a lonely walk.  
  
As the shower water turned off, Tala sat up and started counting out the rubles Boris had given him. He was a true Russian. No credit card, no checkbook, just hundreds of rubles. And some other various contraband items that would come in handy when dealing with a less than legitimate dealer. As the bathroom door opened, Tala shoved the rubles back into his pocket and stood up.   
  
  
  
Kai had abandoned his usual outfit for one slightly more suitable. He wore a black tank top with a long orange shirt open over it. His armbands had been discarded, and his pants were now black with a thin strip of orange running down the side. As he buckled a black leather collar around his neck, Tala nodded in approval.   
  
"Are you ready to go?" Tala asked, as Kai rummaged in his things and pulled out some old beyblade parts, which he stuffed into his pocket.   
  
Tala led Kai out of the room and down the hallway. They passed several abbey guards on the way up, but no one questioned them, and they left the abbey without incident. They headed out onto the street, and into the fray of early morning bustle.  
  
The streets were filled with people, either working or shopping for food and clothes. They all walked slightly hunched over, as if they were all carrying a heavy load on their backs, and spoke back and forth in their native language. A small group of western tourists were being led by an Intourist guide, who was busy romanticizing even the most decrepit parts of Moscow.  
  
Kai scanned the scene, realizing how disillusioned visitors to the city would become. He glanced at Tala as the wandered in the crowd. "So? What are we doing?"  
  
  
  
Tala shrugged and smiled at him. "Enjoying what makes Moscow one of the most beautiful cities in the world?"  
  
Kai wrinkled his nose. "Something smells like fish."  
  
  
  
"Must have been a fresh shipment in today, then." Tala said, nodding toward a nearby shop, where a long line of middle aged women was already forming.  
  
  
  
As Kai watched them push and yell at each other in Russian, desperate to get some fresh fish for their families at last, he felt a stab of pity. "8 million Muscovites," he said. "and the government can't afford to feed half of them."  
  
Shrugging sadly, Tala led Kai down under a nearby bridge. "They don't know any different. Most of the people here think this is the only way to live. The government had been force feeding them false propaganda for so long, they don't know how to believe anything else."  
  
Kai pondered this for a moment, a sudden thought coming to mind. "Stalin."  
  
Tala stopped walking at looked back at him. "What?"  
  
"If my grandfather is successful, do you think he'll be a new Stalin?"  
  
Tala regarded the boy sadly. "Only on a much larger scale…"  
  
"I thought so." Kai mumbled. He slumped against the cold wall of the bridge, closing his eyes. Tala watched him carefully, noticing the way his shoulders sagged just slightly and the defeated expression on his face. He suddenly felt bad for Kai, having to come back to all this. He stepped forward and put his hands on Kai's shoulders, letting them drift down to his arms.  
  
"That's not our problem, ok?" he whispered. He gently pressed his forehead against Kai's much like he had done the night before. "We can't help what we were designed for."  
  
Kai opened his eyes, knowing that Tala was completely right. "Pozhalusta?" he whispered.  
  
Tala leaned forward, pressing his lips against Kai's. He moved his arms around Kai's back and tighten his grip, as he ran he tongue across Kai's lips. Kai responded by opening his mouth and allowing Tala entrance. As he felt the kiss deepen, he became aware of how warm Tala was, in comparison to the cold he always felt. He felt warm in Tala's arms, comfortable. He ran his hands through Tala's hair, letting himself relax.  
  
Tala sighed, pulling his tongue from Kai's mouth. He felt better now, like he had come home. He tightened his grip around Kai's waist and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "We have a guest."  
  
Kai broke eye contact with Tala's deep blue eyes and looked to their right. Sure enough, there was a pretty young Russian girl, watching them.  
  
Tala took a step back but kept his arms around Kai. "Well. This isn't exactly an unfortunate meeting." He addressed her. "We were looking for you."  
  
Kai blinked. He had never seen her before, but judging, he could guess Tala had.   
  
Gesturing to the girl, Tala introduced her. "This is Dimitri. Black market dealer, smuggler, and thief. If it's illegal, she's probably involved."  
  
Dimitri nodded and smiled. "So, the great Tala was looking for me. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." She stepped forward and leaned against the wall. "So, is this the boy who've been talking about since forever?"  
  
Nodding, Tala stepped to the side so Dimitri and Kai could see each other. "This is Kai."  
  
The two nodded a curt greeting to each other, as Tala continued to explain to Kai. "Dimitri has been helping me with something. Getting me some rare relics from old Russia."  
  
Kai nodded. "Then, maybe you can help me." Dimitri nodded, waiting for him to continue. "If you come across a small cross from holy Russia, let me know."  
  
As Dimitri nodded again and made a note of it, while Tala gave Kai a surprised look. "What would you do with it?" he asked.  
  
Kai folded his hands. "Maybe I could pray properly again."  
  
Tala and Dimitri exchanged a look, both of them thinking the same thing. "Is Kai religious?"  
  
Shrugging it off, Dimitri reached into a pocket and rustled around, looking for something. "I have what you wanted." She pulled out a small box made of painted porcelain and inlaid with gold. "It's a genuine, from Czarist Russia."  
  
As Tala examined the box, turning it over in his hands, Kai looked over his shoulder. It looked like any ordinary box, and he didn't understand why Tala was interested. "How much?" Tala asked.  
  
Dimitri considered, as Kai took the box from Tala's hands. "500 rubles."  
  
Kai turned the box over and gave her a look. "You could get something like this in a commission shop for 200."  
  
"But it wouldn't be genuine."  
  
Tala ignored the bickering and pulled some money from his pocket. He counted some out then looked to Kai. "Let me have an old attack ring or something." Kai took one and handed it to him. Tala held out the money and attack ring to Dimitri. "400 and an attack ring."  
  
"Sold." She replied, taking it from him as Kai returned the box to Tala.   
  
"I don't understand, Tala. Why but that?" he asked as Tala examined the box more carefully before putting it away.  
  
"I've been hearing rumors that the Czars possessed a powerful animal spirit long ago. I've been looking through old relics to try and find if it's true." Tala explained.  
  
Kai considered. "But, if they did, wouldn't they still be in power?"  
  
A moment of silence passed between the three as they all considered this possibility. It made sense.   
  
Tala turned to Dimitri and held out his hand. "Good point. I want my rubles back."  
  
Dimitri turned away, holding the money where Tala couldn't get it. "Bite me. All sales are final."  
  
He started to argue, but their attention was attracted by a commotion out in the street. 


	4. Encounter

Part Four   
  
Normal POV  
  
"I wonder what's going on over there?" Dimitri said as Tala let their argument drop. The three of them could hear the sounds of yelling from the street. Such events were uncommon in Moscow, where everyone was more than happy to fade into the background and not be noticed. To be noticed was to look suspicious, and if you were suspicious, you may just disappear one night.   
  
Kai and Tala rushed to the entrance of the bridge, peering carefully out into the street. Whatever was going on, they didn't want to get involved, especially since they had just finished doing business with a black-market dealer.   
  
Out in the street, a group of police were surrounding a group of young tourists. Kai could tell they were tourists because they were replying to the commands and questions of the police in English, and clearing didn't understand what was happening. He sighed, there was nothing worse than getting in trouble in Russia, where xenophobia was commonplace. He leaned forward, resting on Tala's back and looking over his shoulder. There was something strangely familiar about the voices of the tourists, something Kai couldn't quite place. He was sure he had heard it before, but he didn't know where. He could just be imagining things.  
  
He leaned closer. The boys were all around his age, maybe a bit younger. There was short, scared one, clutching something that looked like a laptop to his chest, two silent and yet bolder boys near him, one with black hair and the other with blonde, and a loud chubby one the middle wearing a baseball cap…  
  
Kai stood straight up, nearly knocking Tala over in the process. "Shit!"  
  
Dimitri and Tala both stared at him, startled by his outburst. Kai ignored them, running the possibilities over in his head. There was only one person who was bold enough, and dumb enough, to have an attitude with the police in a foreign country. And only one person who was accident prone enough to get into trouble in a foreign country.  
  
He pushed past his companions, trying to leave the safe darkness of the bridge and head toward the commotion. He knew those boys, and there was something deep inside of him that felt responsible for their safety while they were in Russia. He had no obligation of course, they didn't even know he was in Moscow; it was more of a moral thing. They were seemingly incapable of taking care of themselves at times, so Kai had no choice but to assist them.  
  
Tala reached out and grabbed Kai's arm before he got far. Obviously the boy had forgotten where he was. "What are you doing? Are you nuts?"  
  
Kai tried to wrench his arm free. He gave Tala a cold stare. "Let go of me." He growled, but Tala, unfazed, held on.  
  
"I know you've been gone for a while, so maybe you forget." Tala said as calmly as possible. "This is a police state. They are in control, and if you oppose them…"  
  
Kai continued trying to pull away, he didn't have time for this. "You don't have to remind me that there's a prison in the middle of Moscow. And you don't have to remind me of what goes on there. But knowing that," he pulled harder, finally breaking free from Tala's grasp. "I can't leave them!"  
  
Turning away, he ran out into the street, heading toward the commotion while Tala and Dimitri watched helplessly. Kai was beyond reason, and neither of them could understand why. No matter how strong you were, and no matter who were, if you opposed the police, you would receive a 3 am knock on your door, and you would never be seen again.   
  
"What a reckless friend you have!" Dimitri exclaimed, more shocked than anyone over Kai's reckless actions.   
  
  
  
Clenching and unclenching his fists in frustration, Tala ignored her. Kai was being reckless, but was right about one thing. Knowing what went on in that Komitet prison, how could he leave anyone to face it alone? Especially Kai, someone Tala had finally gotten back after so long. He wasn't going to risk losing him again.  
  
Grabbing Dimitri's arm, he followed Kai, heading toward the commotion. The girl uttered a protest, but Tala ignored it. "Shut up and help cause a distraction!" he barked. As the two of them neared the group, Tala shoved her forward, sending her crashing into one of the Komitet men. The two tumbled to the ground in a heap.  
  
Slightly stunned and dazed, she climbed to her feet, something falling out of her clothing in the process. The small packet of white powder quickly caught the eye of the man she had tumbled, who jumped to his feet and shouted a command to the others. All eyes turned to Dimitri, who quickly snatched the packet from the ground and ran. Finding Dimitri more important then the tourists, the men forgot them, heading after Dimitri in pursuit.   
  
Taking advantage of the distraction, Tala had helped Kai usher the others into nearby alley and out of sight. When they were convinced the police were gone, Tala turned to the tourists, ready to give them a piece of is mind, only to find them already exclaiming excitedly over Kai.  
  
"Kai! You. You're here! But how?!" Rei exclaimed, more than overjoyed to the see the stoic boy right then. Kai was the last person he had expected to meet in the middle of Moscow. When the team had heard of the small exhibition match that would take place in the city, they had tried to contact him, only to find that their team captain had disappeared.  
  
Kai hesitated, not sure how to answer that question. So instead, he ignored it. "The question is, what the hell are you doing here?"  
  
Tyson started to answer, but was too excited to even get words out, so Kenny took the liberty of answering for him. "For the exhibition match, didn't you hear about it Kai?"  
  
Kai glanced at Tala who shook his head. "We aren't involved." He said, clearly referring to all of the Demolition boys and not just Kai and himself. He narrowed his eyes. "You know them?" he asked in Russian, so the Bladebreakers wouldn't understand him.  
  
"My old team." Kai muttered, also in Russian. He turned to the others and addressed them in English. "I'm not attending. I'm here on business. Now tell me why you were in trouble."  
  
Tyson shrugged. "Who knows!? We were just going to get something to eat when those weird dudes stopped us and started to ask us for a 'pespot' or something. And we never even got to eat!" he complained.  
  
"Those 'weird dudes' were the Komitet, so try and show some amount of fearful respect." Kai growled. "And what the hell is a pespot?"  
  
"We thought it was a Russian word!"  
  
Kai gritted his teeth in frustration. "There is no Russian word 'pespot'!" he was starting to feel a little regretful of rescuing them. He had forgotten how annoying Tyson could be. Suddenly, something dawned on him. "Wait, are you sure it wasn't 'pasport'?"  
  
"That's it!"  
  
Kai resisted the urge to jump on him. "They were just asking you for your passport you idiot!"  
  
Tyson blinked at him dumbly. "Are you sure? When did you become an expert on Russian?"  
  
"Forget it! Just go back to your hotel and try not to get into anymore trouble!" Kai yelled. He had long since reached the limits of his patience. He turned and walked away, with Tala close behind, leaving his former team on their own.  
  
Glancing at Kai from the corner of his eye, Tala wondered why he would have gotten involved with such idiotic people. It didn't seem like him. Kai was the kind of person that would surround himself with people that were a lot smarter, or no one at all.   
  
"So, how come we aren't involved in that match they were talking about?" Kai asked, as the two walked along. They were running out of time before they had to go back to the abbey.  
  
Tala shrugged. "Boris wants us to save our skills for the big tournaments. He says theirs no reason to expose our power just yet."  
  
He returned to watching Kai. The boy looked vibrant and colorful under the overcast Moscow sky. His blue hair stood out against the gray clouds and made him look real and alive in a city that seemed so dead at times.   
  
Impulsively, he grabbed Kai's arms and pulled him toward him, giving the boy a long kiss on the lips. Several passerby stopped to stare, but neither boy seemed to notice of care. They pulled apart and Kai chuckled.   
  
  
  
"You're such a horny bastard." He said, an evident laugh in his voice.   
  
Tala tightened his grip. "No. That's not it. "It's just that I," he stopped midsentance, catching himself.   
  
Kai raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "It's just what?"  
  
Letting go of his arms, Tala hesitated. He had come close to reveling more than he intended. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Kai, he was just afraid to. Especially since he had been raised not to feel any emotion, and this was definitely an emotion. It scared him.  
  
"Nothing." he said, continuing their walk. "You're absolutely right."  
  
Kai walked with him, although a little reluctant to let the matter drop. He was a little disappointed, he could have sworn… There were a million endings to that sentence, it could have been anything, but Kai could have sworn he had seen something in Tala's eyes… 


	5. Wolf

When Our Eyes Meet - Part 5  
  
Kai's POV  
  
When I arrived in Moscow, I was for the first time in my life, scared. And it wasn't because of the abbey, or at least, it wasn't entirely because of the abbey. I was more afraid of HIM.  
  
  
  
I hadn't seen him for years, and I believe that I was starting to forget the smaller details of him. Not exactly what he looked like, but things about his attitude, and how it felt to be around him. Not that it would have mattered if I had forgotten what he looked like, when I saw him again, years later, he looked nothing like the cute child I had left behind. But when I saw him, it was terrifying. He isn't intimidating, not to me, at least, but there was thing that I felt.  
  
It's wrong, I shouldn't feel like this. I mean, Tala's a boy, so I shouldn't be feeling anything for him. But when he looks at me, it's there, that undeniable feeling. It almost hurts, like something's pulling at me and I'm trying to resist it. Tala is like a brother to me, I shouldn't feel anything more. But I do.   
  
That night when I went up to the roof, I was trying to escape you, to escape that burning feeling I get whenever you're around. I was hoping that some fresh air would help me clear my head and settle my emotions, but it definitely didn't. You found me anyway, and honestly, I'm glad you did.  
  
But when you kissed me, I didn't know what to think. My mind kept telling me it was wrong, because that's what I was taught to believe, but my heart and my body told me it was ok. It was more than ok; it was something I had been looking for, something that felt right. And it is.  
  
I like it when you kiss me, I want you to kiss me, but I'm so afraid. This isn't who I'm supposed to me. This isn't what I was created to be. I'm not supposed to feel emotion, and I'm certainly not supposed to fall in love with someone. But, I think I fell in love with you, that night on the roof. I fell in love with you, Tala, with your face and your eyes. With the sound of your voice and with your rare, and yet nonetheless beautiful smiles.  
  
I fell in love with the way you held me, like I was something of immeasurable value to you. And yet, for some incomprehensible reason, I'm scared. For so long, I've been nothing but a tool for everyone around me, something to be taken advantage of, that I'm afraid it would be the same with you. I know you're different, and that you wouldn't use me like a toy before tossing me aside, but I still can't shake the fear. I want you to tell me you love me.  
  
I need you to reassure me. I want to wake up next to you after a night together and know that you still feel the same way as you did during our night. I need to know that you feel the same burning feeling I do, when you look at me, speak to me, and smile at me.  
  
I wish I could read your emotions by what your eyes tell me, but seeing isn't always believing. You're a wolf, and wolves have always been cunning and tricky. I know I can trust some of what I see in you're eyes, but can I say for sure that you love me? I don't know. I don't know what you feel. With every part of your being, you're a wolf, and everyone knows that you shouldn't trust what the wolf's eyes tell you. 


	6. Punishment

A quick warning before the next chapter. This story is going to get kind of dark and angsty soon. Not necessarily in this chapter, but in ones to come, and I'll put in additional warnings before then. Enjoy! Oh, and thanks for all the reviews!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part Six  
  
Normal POV  
  
"You're late."  
  
The voice sent a chill down Kai's spine, as if someone where running an ice-cold blade down the small of his back. It was the cold voice he continued to hear in his dreams, a voice that could only express anger and ruthlessness. Ever since he was a child, that voice had haunted him, flooding every moment with memories he couldn't remember. Memories that would torment him from the deepest reaches of his soul, before slipping through his fingers like smoke. And it was this voice that had seduced his need for power and brought him back to the darkest place of his past.  
  
Casting a sideways glance at the red haired boy beside him, Kai could see Tala having a similar reaction. But the Wolf was trying to hide it, masking his fear and apprehension behind a façade of confidence and composure. But the voice of Boris was not something to be ignored. It was the voice of their jailer, their torturer and one day, they believed, their executioner. Even after years under his power, Tala and Kai were still affected by him. He was not a man to get used to.  
  
Tala took a breath to steady himself and stood up straight, trying to appear taller and more powerful than he already was. He stared without obvious fear into the black mask that surrounded two cold red eyes that were a disgusting mockery of Kai's own pure, red eyes.   
  
"We were only last by three minutes." He stated.  
  
Boris leaned forward and glared into Tala's crystal blue eyes. He was trying to intimidate the boy, rattle that bold self-confidence that he had grown to hate in the beautiful Russian boy. Boris had always found Tala appealing, even as a child, and had always intended to take him as his own. And until recently, it seemed that Boris would get his wish. Tala was always eager to keep him happy, being as that was what he had been trained to do since childhood. But when the equally beautiful Kai returned to the abbey, Tala seemed to change. He had suddenly gained a strength that Boris hadn't seen in him before, and without warning, his attentiveness to Boris had taken a backseat to Kai's interests.  
  
Suddenly Tala was spending more time that necessary with Kai. He would even keep the boy company when he was doing chores. Of course, Tala would claim he was keeping an eye on the rebellious brat, making sure he didn't try anything funny, but Boris knew, without having to rely on his hidden eyes in the abbey, that Tala was just keeping the boy company. It was almost as if the two enjoyed each other's company.   
  
Narrowing his eyes, Boris observed with pleasure the small flicker of fear and doubt that passed across Tala's eyes. It was very small, very well hidden, but most definitely there. And it was enough to satisfy him and reassure him that Tala was at least for now, still under his control.   
  
"Those three minutes come at a high price." He growled. "And you two will work off your debt." He snapped his fingers and an abbey guard came in, carrying a bucket of soapy water. He pushed it in Kai's hands, accidentally splashing water on the front of red-eyed boy's shirt.   
  
Boris smiled cruelly. "You will scrub every inch of this abbey. Every wall, floor, ceiling and piece of furniture in every room. And if you don't do it to my satisfaction then you will do it over." his smile grew broader as he waved a hand dismissively, signaling that Kai could leave and get to work, but the boy stayed where he was.   
  
Boris turned to Tala, his smile growing and spending a cold chill down Tala's spine. It was the kind of smile he imagined pedophiles and murders gave their victims before taking their innocence or life. Tala was afraid of that smile. Many a time he had been given that smile when Tala caught Boris staring at him with hungry, lust filled eyes. It terrified Tala to have the man stare at him like that, but he refused to acknowledge it, knowing that it he did, he wouldn't have a chance. If he acknowledged it and gave in, he would fall victim and become even more of Boris's property than he already was. And if he resisted, Boris would kill him, and it was as simple as that. So he feigned innocence, and pretended not to understand his advances.   
  
Boris headed towards the door and out of the room, gesturing for Tala to follow. When Tala was sure that he wasn't looking, he gently touched Kai's arm as the boys passed each other. As the guard saw and raised an eyebrow, Kai took the brief contact as a signal not to worry about Tala or what his punishment would be. Giving the boy's retreating figure a wistful glance, Kai headed toward the front hall of the abbey to begin his work and worrying anyway.  
  
As Kai disappeared to serve out his own punishment, Tala once again focused on Boris. He wasn't sure where he was being lead, or what his penance would be, but he was beginning to have a sinking feeling about it. Being taken to the darkest parts of the abbey was never a good thing, especially if you were alone. But for once Tala was grateful to be alone, if it meant that Kai would be safe. He heaved a sigh of relief.   
  
Boris glanced back and was pleased to find Tala following him like an obedient dog or a small child. He still had that bold, unafraid expression on his face, but Boris could tell that he was less confident now that Kai wasn't there.  
  
With a sadistic smile, Boris ran through the list of options of what he could do with Tala. He could always taken the boy to his chamber or a dark hallway of the abbey and make him his own at last, but as tempting as the thought was, he resisted. He wanted to take the boy in Tala's own room, so he would know that he truly wasn't safe anywhere. Suppressing the idea but promising to tease himself with it later, Boris stopped in front of a closed door. He turned to Tala, who stood facing him, and put his hand on the doorknob.   
  
"Your job isn't difficult, just a little organization. I want you to organize all the papers," He pushed the door open. "in this room."  
  
Tala gasped when he saw the interior of the room. Stacks of paper in various colors covered every inch of the floor and were nearly high enough to brush the ceiling. There were no lights and many of the papers were damp with leaking rainwater and humidity.   
  
Enjoying the look of utter disbelief on Tala's face, Boris told him, "Sort all of the papers in this room by color. When you're done, I'll let you out." With that said, he pushed Tala inside, letting his hand linger a little longer than necessary on the boy's back, before shutting the door.   
  
Tala stumbled as Boris pushed him, his shoulder hitting a pile of papers and sending them toppling to the ground as the door shut. As he sunk to his knees in defeat and disbelief, he heard the door lock and knew Boris wouldn't let him out until every paper was sorted by color. Getting to his feet and not caring whether or not he disturbed more paper, he surveyed the situation and tried to decide where to start.  
  
In the front hall of the abbey, Kai got off his hands and knees and sat back on his heels. He dropped the hard bristled brush he had been using to clean into the bucket of soapy water and pushed his slate bangs out of his face with the back of his hand. He had been scrubbing at the same large red stain on the abbey floor for nearly an hour with little success. The stain was still there, although the water was beginning to take on a reddish tint.   
  
Taking a deep breath, Kai rubbed his right wrist, which was beginning to go numb from the vigorous scrubbing. Pretty soon he would have to switch to his left arm. The abbey was huge, so he would have to switch hands often to keep from getting overly tired, especially if he continued to run into stains like the mysterious red one he was currently tackling.   
  
After leaning backwards to crack his back, h grabbed his brush and crawled back onto his sore knees. His clothes were already soaking wet, and he had barely started. As he worked, his mind drifted to Tala, their day together, and what his friend's punishment would be. He hoped it wasn't anything too severe, although he knew it most likely was, being as it was well known that Kai was Tala's responsibility. Suddenly, Kai found himself wishing for Tala's companionship.   
  
He watched the red water swirl across the stones. "But what would that mean to him?" he murmured under his breath. "Is there really something there, or is it just because we haven't seen each other for a long time? I know what my feelings are, but what about…"  
  
"You should be careful."  
  
Kai froze, feeling a heavy hand lay on his lower back. It wasn't a comforting touch, nor did the voice hold any warmth, so he knew didn't belong to his red haired partner.   
  
Boris smiled when he felt Kai tense under his touch. "You should be careful not to stay in such a submissive position for so long." he rubbed Kai's back slowly, feeling the boy shiver. "Someone might try and take advantage of it."   
  
He removed his hand and walked away without another word, satisfied that he had gotten his pointed across.   
  
Kai remained frozen until he heard Boris's footsteps move away and the door close. When he was sure he was alone, he took a shaky breath, ashamed to be trembling from such an encounter. He dropped the brush and closed his eyes, realizing he was just as afraid of Boris as he was that his feelings toward Tala would be discovered. 


	7. First Glimpse

^-^ To clear up any confusion, this is still Dragon Knight of Snow; I just got bored with my old penname. ^-^; I won't change it again.  
  
Anyway, a little angst soon, a lot more evil Boris, Ian appears, and of course, happy Tala/Kai moments.  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part seven  
  
Normal POV  
  
Carrying the heavy bucket of dirty water, Kai headed toward the abbey courtyard to rid himself of the bucket's filthy contents. He was tired, his muscles aching, and his clothes wet and cold, but he was finally finished. He felt a sort of relief, knowing that he was finished, and would be able to rest at last. For a little while at least, until Boris decided he had some other form of menial work for the slate haired Russian to do.  
  
Stepping out of the musty abbey walls, he felt the cold air sting is skin. The afternoon had been comfortable for those who were used to the cold, but now the temperature was dropping quickly. 'It's going to snow.' Kai thought as he looked up at the cloud-covered sky. All though it had been sunny before, the bleak gray clouds that seemed to always hover of Moscow, and the abbey in particular, had returned. For several seconds Kai stood, feeling the cold wind bit at his exposed skin and wet clothes. He realized night had fallen, and suddenly wondered if it had been mere hours, or days that had passed since he began his work. He shook his head, disturbed that he was having trouble telling one day from the next while inside the abbey.  
  
He dumped the bucket out, watching the reddish water swirl over the dirt and frost covered grass, knowing the water would freeze quickly in the cold. He tossed the bucket to the side and wiped his hands off on his pants, feeling his stomach growl in hunger. He realized he hadn't eaten since the night before, but had been too busy to notice or care. He glanced at the clouds once more, hoping to catch sight of an early snowflake, before stepping back inside reluctantly. He was looking to a shower and sleep, and although he hadn't trained at all during the day, he didn't care. All he wanted to do was rest.  
  
As Kai wandered the twisting abbey halls on the way back to his room, he found his mind drifting to Tala. He hadn't seen the red-haired Russian at all while he was cleaning, which was odd considering he been in every room of the abbey while he worked, with the exception of the private chambers of the abbey's occupants. Kai started to feel a twinge of nervousness in the pit of his stomach when he thought of this. He was worried about Tala's punishment, even if the other boy had told him not to be. Reassurance was worth nothing if something bad had happened. Tala might have been beaten, or worse, knowing Boris.   
  
A hollow feeling opened up in Kai's stomach. It was a feeling he knew well, a feeling he had woken up to every morning for the past three years, a feeling the had disappeared upon his return to the abbey. The mix of emotions had confused Kai had first, but he know realized it was a feeling of loneliness, of longing. And he knew, somewhere deep down, that he was longing for Tala.  
  
"Tala…"  
  
The name escaped Kai's lips in a soft, pained whisper. It was torture, having Tala so close, but being able to do nothing to express his feelings. If it wasn't the fear of being rejected that held him back, it was the knowledge of everything that could go wrong if anyone, especially Boris, found out.  
  
As Kai mulled over his options, he became vaguely aware of someone standing behind him and placing a hand on his stomach. He stopped walking, thinking that it was Tala, and someone he had called the boy to him with his thoughts, but as the arm tightened around him and pressed his back against the person behind him, Kai realized who it was.  
  
"So Kai, I see you've finally finished you're work." Boris sneered as he ran his hand over the boy's flat stomach. He could feel the muscles rippling under the fabric of his shirt, and he longed to get rid of that frustrating barrier so he could touch the smooth skin beneath. "I hope this teaches you a lesson."  
  
Kai clenched his jaw and fought down nausea, trying to ignore the invading hand on his stomach and the distinct point of pressure on his lower back. He would not give Boris the pleasure of seeing him afraid, he wouldn't not let him see any reaction. He would relax and ignore it, and Boris would leave.  
  
A smile stretched across Boris's face as he felt Kai's muscles tense beneath his touch. No matter what Kai tried, he couldn't help his body's natural reactions. He was afraid, and Boris was pleased. He wanted Kai to be afraid, he wanted to see the boy suffer. He pulled Kai closer and ground his hips against the boy's lower back.   
  
  
  
Kai shut his eyes tightly and swallowed as Boris dug his nails into Kai's stomach, signaling his pleasure. 'Ignore him…just ignore him.'  
  
Boris pulled Kai against himself even harder. "I'd hate to have to keep punishing you for your insubordination." He said, his hand trailing lower on Kai's stomach.  
  
Kai had been able to hold his hate and disgust inside up until now, but as he felt the man's hand slip beneath the waistband of his pants, he could take now more. He jerked his body away, catching Boris off guard and removing himself from the lustful touch. As the grip loosened, Kai tried to move away, but Boris caught him and slammed him against the wall.   
  
Boris growled, not pleased that Kai had pushed him away when he was so close to making the boy his own. It was true that he didn't want Kai to submit to him, he wanted to take the boy by force, but he was losing patience. He pressed Kai's shoulders against the wall and leaned forward, his breath hot against Kai's skin.   
  
Kai winced as his sore muscles protested Boris's touch. He could feel the man's warmth on his skin, and he shuddered, then immediately regretted it. He didn't want Boris to know that he was scared.   
  
"That's very rude of you Kai." Boris growled, his lips brushing against the skin on Kai's neck. "I came here to do you a favor and this is how you repay me?"  
  
Pressing his face against the cold stone of the wall, Kai forced a growl. "What favor?" he hissed, letting only his anger, and not his fear, show in his voice. he wasn't sure his tone was convincing, but didn't have much time to dwell on it, as Boris pressed a small chunk of brown bread to his lips.   
  
Placing a hand on Kai's shoulder, Boris spun the boy around to face him, still holding the bread to his lips, as though he were offering him a treat. He grasped Kai's chin roughly as he tried to move his head away. "I thought you might be hungry after all that work." He said.  
  
Kai tried to pull his head away as Boris tightened his grip on his jaw. He wasn't willing to eat the bread. For one, he didn't trust Boris; he had no idea what type of the drug the devious man might have snuck into the stale food. Sleeping drugs, nerve drugs, poison, Kai wouldn't put it past him. The food pressed against his closed lips harder, as Boris leaned forward, his lips brushing Kai's forehead. As Kai tried to pull away, Boris simply tightened his grip, grinding the bones in Kai's jaw.   
  
"This is all you'll get for dinner Kai, so you'd better eat up."  
  
Kai scowled at him, refusing to give in. he recognized this treatment. Receiving barely enough food to stay alive, being kept in a dark, closed in location…the dehumanizing treatment was familiar. It was part of a system used to strip a person of their humanity and break their free will. He knew where this type of treatment was used. "Where are we," Kai asked, his voice muffled from Boris's grip. "Lefortovo?"[1]  
  
With a cruel grin, Boris started to pry up Kai's jaw. As the boy struggled against him, he gave a sadistic laugh. "You'll wish you were in Lefortovo by the time I'm done with you." He succeed in opening the Russian boy's mouth, and shoved the bread inside. He used both hands to clamp his jaw shut again and hold it closed. "No, Lefortovo has nothing on want I'm going to do to you." He began to blow on Kai's nose, trying to force him swallow, in the same way someone might do to an animal.   
  
After a few seconds of struggling, Kai pretended to swallow, but held the bread in his mouth. Satisfied, Boris released him and stepped back. He gently touched the black and blue marks that were beginning to develop on Kai's face from his grip.   
  
"Look at that. I've hurt you." he grinned widely, sending a new chill down Kai's spine. "Get used to it. this won't be the last time." Boris gave one last smirk before turning away and disappearing into the maze of halls under the abbey.  
  
When he was gone, Kai spat out the bread and wiped his mouth, scowling in disgust. He hated when Boris treated him like that, touched him like that. The mere thought of Boris's dirty hands, running over his body, made him want to puke. Boris was a filthy man with the twisted desire to steal away Kai's innocence. He rubbed his arms, trying to chase away the chill that had fallen over him.   
  
He suddenly felt very dirty, and had the burning desire to shower and sleep. He had been planning to stop by Tala's room before returning to his own, but the encounter with Boris made him want to clean himself first. So with one last shudder, he headed back toward his room, still feeling like he was being watched.   
  
As Kai walked away, a small figure ducked around the corner, grateful to his small size not to be seen. Ian shuddered in recollection of what he had just witnessed. He had come upon Boris and Kai just as the older man seized Kai from behind. At first he thought the perhaps Kai and Boris were having an affair, and what he was witnessing was a secret rendezvous, but after seeing the look on Kai's face and the way Boris treated him, Ian knew the silver haired Russian was not a willing participant. When he realized that Kai didn't want this, and that Boris was forcing himself upon him, Ian found himself paralyzed by disgust.  
  
After Boris left and Kai managed to regain his composure, Ian slumped against the wall, wondering what to do. There were various options available to him, but at the moment, none seemed very good. He could always chase after Kai, confront him and make sure he was all right, but he had a feeling that his presence would not be welcome. The two boys had never been very close when growing up, and the time they spent apart had forced an unbridgeable gap between them. But then, Kai had never been very closed with anyone.  
  
"Except Tala." Ian mumbled to himself, recalling with some jealousy the friendship the two had displayed while growing up.   
  
When they were children, Tala and Kai had been inseparable. Closer than brothers, and with a bond of friendship and love between them that rivaled any Ian had ever seen before or since. Wherever Kai went, Tala was close behind, and vise versa. They spent hours together, forging a bond that only they seemed capable of maintaining in such a place as the abbey.   
  
After the accident that caused Kai to run away, Tala had been heartbroken. He fell into a deep depression that seemed to last throughout Kai's absence. Ian tried to tell Tala that Kai was a traitor, and that he should forget him, but the blue eyed Russian would never listen. He remained that way until the day Kai had returned, when he seemed to find himself again.  
  
Ian considered. Of all the people in the abbey, it seemed that Tala had the most right to know what was going on, but the question of how he would react was another story. He vaguely remembered the violence with which Tala had defended Kai in their youth, no matter who it was that dared to do anything to his silver haired friend. There had even been a time when Tala had beaten another student so badly that Boris found it necessary to send the victim out of the school for medical treatment. And Tala had done in all in Kai's defense.  
  
There wasn't a doubt in Ian's mind that the feelings of love and brotherhood that had driven Tala to such extreme actions in the past had not dissipated over the years, but had lingered on and grown stronger, just beneath the surface until the day they would once again be valid. Informing Tala of Kai's predicament could very well send the boy into a frenzy of moral and obligatory distress that would force him to reenact the events of the past. But this time it would not be a faceless classmate he would be attacking, it would be Boris, and that could be life threatening.   
  
Ian sighed, mentally debating whose safety was more important to him; Kai's or Tala's. Tala's obviously, since the blue eyed Russian was like a brother to him, but it seemed like Kai was in the more immediate danger. Boris would be aggressive and persistent; he wouldn't let Kai get anyway until he got what he wanted.   
  
[1] A prison in Russia.  
  
This chapter was a lot longer, but I cut it into two. The full chapter is 19 pages hand written, and it isn't finished yet so…be on the look out for an update. ^-^ 


	8. Frustration

When Our Eyes Meet - Part 8  
  
Normal POV  
  
Rubbing his hands over his face in frustration, Ian took a deep breath and tried to rid himself of the massive headache that pounded at his temples. Everything was getting too complicated, too many cause and effects, too many things that could go wrong. Life had been peaceful until now, until Kai's return. Not exactly joyous or ideal, but simple. This situation now was much too big; and Ian didn't care to get involved. But if something went wrong, and Ian had known and done nothing about it…how could he deal with that? He wasn't close with Kai, but he was still a Demolition boy; a member of the abbey, and in being so, Ian was morally bound to help him.  
  
Ian knew he couldn't sit back and do nothing, but then, how could he put Tala in danger? Tala had always been like an older brother to him, bordering on being a true father figure, even if the former was ignorant to that fact. There was no way that he could jeopardize his safety. But then, what about Kai's safety?  
  
It was a deadlock, a clash of two crises where neither option was a good one. In truth, it wasn't Ian's place in interfere, Kai's business was his own, but was the empathy he felt for the silver haired boy enough to persuade him to interfere? He didn't know. Tala was always the leader, the one who made the decisions and tough choices. But he couldn't go and ask his advice; that would simply defeat the purpose. And Kai was the only other one in the abbey who seemed strong enough to make hard decisions.  
  
Ian sighed, realizing he would get nowhere if he sat there and ran the options over and over in his head. "I'll just go see Tala, and decide when I see him."   
  
He wandered off, going in a different direction than the one Kai had taken. He wasn't sure where Tala was right then, but he should be able to figure it out.  
  
As Ian thought about where the red-haired Russian might be, Kai was doing the same, as he walked back to his room. He hadn't seen Tala since they got back to the abbey, and was beginning to feel slightly lonely. Although he had spent years with him before, the small taste of his companionship made Kai feel depressed when he was alone. It was unnatural for someone who had always been a lone wolf, and more than just slightly unnerving.  
  
Reaching his room at last, Kai cast a final cautious glance about the hallway before pushing open the door and stepping inside. As the comforting darkness enveloped him, he gave a sigh of relief, more than grateful to be back in the only place he felt was safe. He made his way to the bathroom, stripping off his wet clothes and dropping them on the floor in his wake. He would clean them up later, right now all he wanted was a shower.  
  
He closed the bathroom door behind himself, and turned on the shower. As he waited for the water to warm up, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. The blue triangles that normally adorned his face were gone; he hadn't applied them that morning, even though he knew his grandfather would be upset if he ever knew. Rubbing a finger of his jaw line, Kai made a sad mental note of the black and blue bruises that marred his pale skin. He didn't want to have to explain those to Tala. How could be tell the blue eyed boy that they were a result of Boris's passion and brutality, and his own weakness?  
  
Reaching his hand into the shower, he shook off all thoughts of Boris, as the water ran over his fingers. It was hot, almost unbearably so, but that was what Kai wanted. He didn't want to be cold right then. He needed heat, and he needed something to occupy his mind. Stepping under the spray, he hissed as the water scaled his pale skin. The pain was necessary, however. It reminded him of his own humanity and his own frailty as a human being, both of which were important to remember when living in the abbey.  
  
Kai rubbed his arms, spreading the water over his skin. It pooled at his feet, washing away invisible traces of Boris that still remained with him. Between the water and the heat, Kai hoped that the filthiness he felt from the encounter would be washed away and disappear, from both his body and mind. he was willing to stay in that shower forever if it meant he could be cleansed again.   
  
Deep inside, he felt the burning desire to find Tala, but he refused to until he free of Boris's filth. There was a paranoia he felt that Tala would somehow be able to tell, and he didn't want the wolf to know. Not now, and not ever. It felt wrong to hide something from him, but what other option did he have?  
  
Hugging himself and shivering despite the hot water, Kai let his mind drift to Tala. His body had been longing for the boys touch ever since he was old enough to understand physical attraction, but he had hidden it from himself, as his mind screamed at him that it was wrong. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and without a doubt, what Kai's heart wanted was to be with Tala. The only problems that remained were how Kai would confess his feelings, and whether or not Tala would return them.  
  
He tilted his head back and let the water run over his face, stinging his bruises. He closed his eyes, his mind pounding in repetition of Tala's name.  
  
'Tala…'  
  
There was never a doubt that the two had always been close as children; they were inseparable during their training, like two halves of a whole. Every waking moment was spent together, and even non-waking moments, when they would casually fall asleep in the same bed.  
  
'Tala…'  
  
There were many mornings when they had woken up in each other's arms, having cuddled to each other in their sleep, each relying on the other for warmth and comfort from the nightmares that plagued them. They would often wake up to find their hand or head on the other's chest or stomach, or arms around his shoulders or waist. It wasn't uncommon, and it felt completely natural to them.   
  
'Tala…'  
  
Their physical contact however, was not limited to subconscious actions it their sleep. Testing their strength on one another by playful wrestling and seeing who could keep the other pinned the longest was another common game of theirs. Shows of affection were common too; putting their arms around each other, giving hugs of celebration, or jumping on each other's backs from piggyback rides. All very normal to them.  
  
'Tala.'  
  
Of course, back then their actions had been in the playful ways of children, with out sexual tension.  
  
'Tala…Tala…'  
  
Of course, it wasn't that way anymore.   
  
Kai reached an arm behind him and ran his fingers along the wall. When he touched the cold metal of the faucet, he twisted it as far to the right as it would go. Within seconds, the water changed from burning hot, to icy cold, the cold water jolting him violently of out his haze.  
  
He took a shaky breath, calming himself as the cold water chilled his warm body. This was no time to get all worked up, he had other things to think about. Shutting the water off, Kai stepped out of the shower and ran his finger through his wet hair. He felt better now, ready to go and find Tala.   
  
Leaving the now steamy bathroom, he rummaged in his belongings, searching for clothes. He found a shirt and pants and quickly dressed; enjoying the warm, dry fabric. Pulling a comb through he tangled hair; he hoped it would dry straight. Tala had always liked his hair down. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he left his room and headed toward Tala's. It had been a while since he had been there, but even after some much time, Kai could find it in his sleep. It was almost like instinct.   
  
Another chopped short chapter. I meant to make this one longer, but I'm out of time. ^.^ I'll update soon! Please review! 


	9. Moment

Another slow update. * Sigh * Well, at least school's out now so maybe I'll have more time to write.   
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 9  
  
Normal POV  
  
Pressing his ear against the rough wood of the closed door, Kai listened for sounds from within the room. He could hear nothing from inside, but that didn't prove anything. Tala had a way of being absolutely silent when he wanted to be; it was a defense mechanism. Being able to sneak around the abbey without being noticed was one of the only ways to stay safe. At least, that was what they had believed when they were children, before harsh reality sunk in, and they realized that were always being watched while inside the abbey, by the unfeeling, glass eyes of hundreds of cameras. There was no way to tell where the cameras were, since many of them were too tiny to notice, or were fiber optics hidden in the walls. Biovolt was at the forefront of technology, so naturally they would have a security system that was unrivaled by any other.   
  
Kai sighed, pulling his head away from the door and putting his hand on the splintered wood instead. 'Boris is probably watching me right now. And I'll bet he's getting some sick pleasure out of it too.' Involuntarily, he shuddered, knowing that Boris had the ability and desire to watch him every second of the day. Being out of the abbey for so long made it easy to forget the feeling of being under constant surveillance.   
  
He raised an arm and knocked softly on the door. The hollow noise sounded excessively loud in the silence of the hallway, and he winced. Listening devices were everywhere too. It was best not to make any noise that would attract attention.   
  
There was no response from the room, so Kai slowly pushed the door open, not wanting to startle Tala if he was inside sleeping. He poked his head inside, looking around for any sign of life from inside. The room was dark and still, the air quiet and chilly from the night. The entire abbey was made of stone, which provided little insulation during the winter. The only way to stay warm was to either use a lot of blankets, or simply get used to it.   
  
Closing the door behind him, Kai walked to the bed and sat down on the flat sheets. Tala wasn't in bed, and Kai had a feeling he hadn't been there for awhile. The room felt empty, lonely. As he tried to lie down and bury his head in Tala's pillow, something sharp under the sheets attracted his attention.   
  
Sitting up, he felt under the sheets and pulled the object out, holding it in a small square of moonlight from the only tiny window in the room so he could see it. It was a wide silver border, slightly tarnished with age, surrounding a small pane of glass with what appeared to be a piece of paper pressed underneath. Kai frowned, his fingers feeling the soft felt backing. What was this?  
  
He peered closer, his eyes suddenly lighting up in recognition. 'It's a picture frame.' He smiled, realizing that he was holding a photograph in his hands. The photo itself was creased and torn, obviously from being handled too much, but it was framed so nicely that Kai knew it had to be of some importance to Tala.   
  
Rising from the bed, Kai walked over the small window so he could see better, it was much too gloomy in the room for him to be able to make out what the picture was of. He stood near the window, angling the frame so he could see without a glare. As he silently examined the photo, a smile stretched across his face.   
  
'That's Tala and me.' He thought, studying the smiling faces in the picture. 'But from when?' he considered. 'In the picture, Tala and I are the same height.' Kai closed his eyes and chuckled softly. 'But when Tala started growing he got taller than I am. So this must had been taken a while ago.'  
  
With a nostalgic look gracing his face, Kai ran his fingers over the glass. 'When did I really look that happy?' Memories of his early years in the abbey were somewhat blurred, but he could remember enough. It had been hard, painful, but based on the expressions on both Kai and Tala's faces in the picture, no one would have guessed.   
  
Smiling, he hugged the picture to his chest. 'It's because Tala was there.'   
  
Pictures were so rare in the abbey, and yet Tala had managed to get his hands on this single photograph, and had treasured it all these years. Even knowing that Boris forbade any sentimentality like photos, Tala had kept the photo, hiding it away. Because it was precious, a small, frozen moment in time when they had both been happy.   
  
Kai carried the picture frame back to the bed, preparing to put it back where he had found it. The mere fact that his friend had kept and treasured that picture meant a lot to him. It meant that even in his absence, even when he was a world and an entire life away, Tala hadn't forgotten him.   
  
He walked over to the desk and took a small piece of paper, scribbling a short note to Tala on it. Kai hadn't been able to see him, but he wanted to let the red haired Russian know that he hadn't forgotten either. He slipped the note inside the frame and placed it back under his sheets where he had found it. As he walked towards the door, he stopped and looked back, smiling, because he knew the picture was there. He left the room, disappearing down the hall mere seconds before Tala appeared from the other direction.   
  
Tala walked slowly to his room, his arms and legs cramping from being in the small office and organizing the papers. True to his word, Boris had only let him out of the room after carefully inspecting his work. It had taken him what seemed like forever to get all those papers in order, but he had finally finished, and was rewarded with permission to return to his room, as well as a small jar of cherries that were to be his dinner. He shook his head, not wanting to think of the symbolism behind being given cherries.   
  
He stepped inside his room and flicked on the light, flooding the cold room with a warm yellow glow. With a happy sigh, he put the cherries on a bedside table and collapsed on his bed. This room was the only place in the abbey where he felt safe and secure.  
  
'Well, this room and in Kai's arms.' He thought, rolling over and reaching a hand under his pillow for the photograph he kept there.   
  
That photo had a world of importance to him. In fact, it ranked in importance along with Wolborg, and Kai himself. When the silver haired prodigy had left the abbey, Tala had been left feeling hopelessly alone, with nothing of his good friend's to hold onto in his absence. It was only after Ian had come across the picture and given it to him that he began to feel better. The picture could never replace Kai, but it was a small bit of warmth and solace in Tala's small, dark world.  
  
As he brought the frame to his face to examine it, he noticed the small paper tucked into the corner.   
  
He pulled it out and looked it over, wondering what it could be. It certainly hadn't been there the last time he looked that the picture, which had been that morning. And it worried Tala, to see that paper. It meant that someone had found the photo and was trying to send him a message, but the only ones who knew about it were Ian and Tala himself, so would had left the note?  
  
It couldn't have been Boris, since the man would have simply waited for Tala to come back and dealt out punishment then. So was it another member of the Demolition boys? Or an abbey guard?  
  
He unfolded the paper, his face brightening and his fears being soothed as he read the words.   
  
'I haven't forgotten either. Come see me on the roof. - Kai'  
  
Sorry the chapter was so short, but this seemed like a good stopping place.   
  
Please take the time to review and I'll have the next chapter up shortly. Thank and have a nice day! ^.^ 


	10. Igor

When Our Eyes Meet - Part 10  
  
Normal POV  
  
Playing with the folded paper in his pocket, Tala headed down the empty hallway, heading toward the old and unused boiler room at the end of the hall. In the abbey's earlier days, that room had housed the main boiler and furnace that heated the entire building, but after years of breaking down and needing repairs, the rusted equipment had been replaced with newer ones on another floor. Since then, the room had been unused, always unlocked, but carefully avoided by the abbey residents.  
  
Tala stepped up to the door and cast one final look around before opening the door just enough for his slim figure to slip inside. The hinges were rusted and created the most horrible noise when the door was opened too far, so Tala was careful to open it as little as possible. He crept inside silently and shut the door behind him, shutting himself into darkness.  
  
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the ancient equipment the room housed. Standing prominently in the center of the room was the furnace, a huge monster of rusted iron, covered with dust and soot from its working days. The top of the domed monstrosity nearly brushed the high ceiling, black with soot and grim. A huge metal grate covered the opening of the furnace, where coal had been shoved inside and the fires that warmed the abbey had burned.  
  
Tala shivered, staring at that heavy metal grate. The opening was nearly three feet wide and four feet high, and was dwarfed by the rest of the massive iron monster. The furnace, and that metal grate in particular, had never ceased to give Tala nightmares as a child. There were many times when Boris would bring the blue eyed Russian into that room and bring him face to face with the cold metal grate, describing in detail what would happen if he decided to throw the frightened child into that black hole and light the fires. That's what would happen if he disobeyed orders, Boris had told him, and he wouldn't be the first one to be sacrificed to the massive furnace. Tala believed him too.  
  
Tearing his eyes from the furnace, Tala walked behind it, careful not to step on any rusted scrap metal that littered the floor. The entire room was a nightmarish place, and unfortunately housed the only place in the abbey that had access to the roof. At least that Kai and Tala knew of.  
  
He crossed to the far wall, feeling carefully along the cold stones, searching for the old metal ladder that would take him to the roof. The ladder rose to the ceiling, and by accessing a small trap door, you could get outside quite easily. Neither Tala nor Kai knew why the ladder and trap door were there, but they certainly weren't complaining.   
  
As his fingers touched the cool, rough metal of the ladder, Tala breathed a sigh of relief. He had always had an illogical fear that the ladder wouldn't be there, and he would somehow be stuck in that horrible place. He climbed onto the first rung and waited as the rusted metal groaned and protested his weight. Tala stood still, half expecting the ladder to swing away from the wall as the tired metal finally gave out, but nothing happened. With renewed confidence in its stability, he continued up, slowly climbing one rung at a time. He would place his weight gently with each step he took, testing its strength and ability to hold him.  
  
He continued climbing until he felt the ceiling brush against the top of his head. He looked around, barely eye level with the top of the furnace, and began to feel for the latch to the trap door. It was so gloomy in the room that it was impossible to see anything, but Tala figured he would be able to get by on touch alone. His fingers fell on the latch, and his twisted it, pushed upwards.   
  
The door pushed outwards with a jolt, breaking the thin sheet of ice that had already begun to freeze over the opening. Small shards of ice fell on his head as he pushed open the door all the way, and stuck his head through the opening.   
  
Cold night air bit Tala's cheeks as he emerged outside, pushing himself out of the opening and sitting on the edge. He pulled his legs through the opening and closed to the door, getting carefully to his feet. A thin layer of frost covered the abbey roof and broke beneath Tala's feet as he walked away from the door, searching for Kai.  
  
He looked around, ignoring the bit of the cold wind and forcing his body not to shiver. He could deal with the cold just fine, no problem at all. His crystal blue eyes scanned the roof, searching. They fell upon a solitary figure, silhouetted against the gray sky, and he quickly walked over.  
  
"Nice night." Tala murmured as he neared him. He raised his eyes to the gray, tumbling sky. "Looks like it's going to snow. Again."  
  
Kai looked at him slowly and raised an eyebrow. "That was fast." He said, moving to stand from his position, sitting on the edge of the abbey roof.   
  
Placing a hand on his shoulder to prevent the red-eyed boy from standing, Tala sat down next to him, dangling his legs over the edge. "What was?"  
  
"You, getting here." Kai replied, returning his gaze to the silent city below them.  
  
Tala shrugged. "Guess I got your note not long after you had left." He looked at Kai and scowled at him. "Speaking of which, you scared the crap out of me, leaving that damn note. I thought someone had found that picture."  
  
"Easily startled?" Kai asked, bemused. "And besides, someone did find the picture. Me."  
  
Tala grinned and put an arm around Kai's shoulders, pulling him closer. "I meant someone important."  
  
"Yeb vas." Kai growled, but smiled despite himself. This was exactly the type of playing insulting they had engaged in as children. "So, how'd you get that picture anyway?"  
  
"Ian gave it to me."  
  
Kai raised an eyebrow, looking up at Tala's peaceful face. The red haired boy seemed to feel his stare and looked down at him. He gently placed a hand under Kai's chin and pulled him closer. Leaning forward, he whispered in Kai's ear, his lips brushing against the boy's skin.  
  
"I'll tell you later, okay? I promise." He whispered.   
  
His warm breath against Kai's cold skin caused Kai to blush, and he began to worry that Tala would see the bruises on his face. It was too dark to see them, but at such a close proximity, Tala might notice.   
  
Close proximity. The realization of how close the other boy's body was to him caused Kai to blush more fiercely.   
  
'Why am I blushing?' Kai questioned himself silently. 'It isn't like we've never been this close before. I mean, he's kissed me before, why am I blushing now?"  
  
He turned his head away, trying to hide his red cheeks. "You can tell me later, I was just wondering."  
  
Tala blinked at him, wondering why Kai was suddenly acting so shy. It was uncommon for Kai, who normally wore a cold and indifferent attitude, to suddenly be acting so bashful. And yet, Tala found it endearing.  
  
Kai let his eyes drift out over the city once again, looking for something, anything, to take his mind off of the boy sitting next to him. His scarlet eyes ran over the gray, lifeless building and dark streets, to the golden onion domes of the Kremlin that loomed in the distance. The domes were standing out against the dark clouds, sparkling in the moonlight; but Kai let his eyes drift away, settling on things closer to the abbey.  
  
He looked over the quiet grounds, silent and still, save for the howl of the wind. The tall iron fence that surrounded the abbey caught his eyes. It was black, made of wrought iron and topped with thick spikes that looked sharp eyes knives. As Kai stared at that those spikes, he felt his breath catch in his throat.   
  
"Tala," he asked quietly, "do you remember Igor?"  
  
Tala looked at him, slightly surprised. "Yes."  
  
Igor had been an abbey worker back when Tala and Kai were still children. He had been a huge, intimidating man, with beefy arms that looked like they could rip a person in two. But despite his somewhat frightening appearance, Igor had been a gentle man who would never hurt a fly. He had taken a special to liking to Tala and Kai, looking after them as if they were his younger brothers, and although Igor had never been very intelligent, Kai and Tala had admired him greatly.  
  
Igor had remained at the abbey for many years, following Boris's orders and keeping a special eye out for his two surrogate brothers, until one morning in February.   
  
Kai and Tala had been roaming the grounds early one morning, walking along that wrought iron fence. They had been laughing and joking around, enjoying their free time before training, but their happy nature soon disappeared when they came upon Igor.   
  
He was splaying across the top of that fence, a metal spike protruding from his stomach. Blood was running down the fence posts, pooling at the base and freezing into a pinkish color. His pale, gaunt skin was already covered in frost, his mouth and small, beady eyes, wide open and staring at the overcast sky.  
  
Boris had found them, staring up at Igor's body, holding each other and trembling, with tears running down their faces. They had been stunned into silence, but were teetering dangerously on the line between shock and hysteria. They had been ushered inside and brought to their room, where they had been given sedatives to keep them from becoming hysterical.   
  
They had stayed in that room for hours, in shock and horror, until Boris had come back.  
  
It had been an accident, he told them. Igor had slipped on the frozen roof and fallen, landing on those awful spikes…he had survived for a while, it was the cold that did him in…  
  
Kai shuddered, recalling those painful memories. That had been the first time he had ever seen a dead body…  
  
Feeling the vibration that ran through Kai's body, Tala pulled the boy closer, wrapping his arms around his slim frame. He was just as horrified by the memory, so he pressed his forehead against Kai's shoulder and took a shuddering breath.   
  
* * * Gruesome. ~.~ What a bad way to die. And so sad that Tala and Kai had to see it.   
  
Anyway, leave a review and I'll update; maybe tomorrow. 


	11. Feeling

So…tired…but an update I promised so indeed I will update! But before I start…a few things.  
  
-Babs and Vialana- * looks around innocently * A set up? Hmmm…who knows? Not me! ^.~  
  
-Devildragon- Whee! A perfect score! Thanks! ^.^ I'll do my best to keep it up! And yup, Tala and Kai are adorable!  
  
-Vanishingact- Yup, I was planning on a lemon in later chapters. I'll warn everyone before then, though, so those who don't want to read it don't have to.  
  
-Ami Winner- Boris ruins everything, ne? * Sighs *  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers! I appreciate it! I'd like to thank you all individually, but that would take too long. ^.^; All right! * Rubs hands together * Found a fudge pop, ready to write!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 11  
  
Normal POV  
  
For a long while, Tala and Kai sat in silence, each lost in his own thoughts or memories and not yet ready to speak. Their memories of Igor's death and the days following it were horribly vivid in their memories; they could still see his body, and hear Boris explaining the death to them, with a hint of irritation and no sympathy in his voice.   
  
  
  
Tala dragged his eyes away from the fence, forcing himself not to think about what those spikes would have felt like after Igor had fallen, and instead focused on Kai's face. The boy's head was resting on his shoulder with a far off look in his scarlet eyes and an expression of no emotion on his face. Try as he might, Tala could not read Kai's expression and tell what he was thinking as he watched him in silence. Kai had slipped into the familiar habit of hiding any and all emotions when something he was thinking or feeling was too painful.   
  
At long last, it was Kai who finally broke the silence. Rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache, he looked at Tala. "There's…there isn't any point in getting upset over this now, right?"  
  
Tala shook his head and rubbed Kai's arm, trying to comfort himself as well as Kai. He wanted to be upset; he wanted to feel sad over Igor's death even after all these years. Sadness, grief, sorrow…they were all human emotions, and painful as they were, they were emotions that Tala desperately didn't want to lose. "No. No sense in it." he hesitated. "But…we turned out ok, right? He'd be happy."  
  
Kai suppressed a chuckle, feeling it wasn't appropriate right then. "Yeah. We didn't become mindless drones. You know how he was." Kai wrinkled his nose and looked out over the city, staring into the darkness. " 'Ya ain't gon be puppets for that man 're ya? Ya 'serve a good wippin' if ya 're.'"   
  
There were several seconds of silence following the statement, and Kai began to wonder if he had somehow driven in a point to Tala, before he heard his red haired companion burst into laughter.   
  
Tala had struggled with himself to keep the laughter from breaking out, but in the end he had lost the battle. He laughed for a long time, enjoying himself until he noticed the slightly disgruntled look his friend was giving him.   
  
"What's so funny?" Kai asked, with more of an attitude showing in his voice than he had intended. Honestly, he didn't mind Tala laughing like that, and in fact it made him quite happy, but that wasn't how he was supposed to act.  
  
Regaining control over himself, Tala replied. "Its nothing." He put his elbow on his knee and rested his head in his hand, gazing over at Kai, unaware of the slightly dreamy expression that had come over his face. "It's just that you sounded exactly like him."  
  
Despite the darkness, Kai saw the look on his face and began to blush furiously. Snapping his head back to look at the streets below them, he replied with as few words as possible, hoping to hide his embarrassment. "Hn."  
  
A small smile tugged at the covers of Tala's mouth as he saw the bright red color creep over Kai's cheeks. 'He's so cute.' He thought. "Somehow, Kai, you always manage to cheer me up."  
  
Kai kept his gaze focused fiercely on the streets below, trying to keep himself occupied with watching a stray cat wander the dark alleys near the abbey. If he looked at Tala now, there was no way he would be able to hide his burning cheeks. He could feel the blue eyes burning into him, and it wasn't helping his confusion any.   
  
"W.. Why are you looking at me like that?" Kai stammered, not looking up. He was aware that his nervousness was showing in his voice, but there wasn't anything he could do.  
  
Tala threw him a slightly hurt look, even though he knew Kai wouldn't see it. "What's wrong with me looking at you?"  
  
  
  
Kai shook his head. "Nothing." he replied. In truth, he liked Tala looking at him like that, but therein laid the problem. He wasn't supposed to like it.  
  
Tala watched him in silence for several seconds, studying him. The scarlet-eyed boy was acting strange. Gently, he reached out and turned Kai's head to face him. The red cheeks he had been trying to hide earlier were still there, but there was something else.  
  
"What's wrong?" Tala whispered, a truly concerned look on his face. It wasn't like Kai to act like this, so he could only assume that something was going on.  
  
Trying to avoid Tala's eyes but finding himself unable to, Kai whispered a response. "Nothing."  
  
Tala searching his face, looking for a clue as to what was going on in his mind. The boy was as unreadable as ever, but when Tala looked closer, he could see something in Kai's crimson eyes, and suddenly he understood.   
  
'He looks so confused.' Tala thought, as he rubbed his thumb across Kai's smooth cheek. Slowly, and without wanting to startle him, Tala leaned forward and pressed him lips softly against Kai's.  
  
Kai could see the motion and tell what Tala was going to do long before he did it, but nothing within himself would allow him to stop it. He wanted Tala to kiss him, he had been waiting for it, and so he tired to block out the voice screaming at him in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips back against Tala's, relaxing and enjoying himself.  
  
Feeling Kai respond, Tala pulled away reluctantly and looked down as two scarlet eyes blinked up at him.   
  
"Kai." He said softly. "I understand. Don't hide the fact that you're confused from me." He brushed a stray strand of silver hair away from the other boy's pale face. "You just have to do what feels right and ignore everything else."  
  
Tala's words didn't help Kai's confusion any as he rested his head on Tala's chest. He listened to Tala's soft, steady breathing and tried to wrap his mind around what he was feeling. He felt his companion's hand gently stroke the back of his head, trying to comfort him.  
  
Kai closed his eyes, trying to sort everything out. 'What I feel is right? Being with Tala feels right, but that isn't the problem. I'm not supposed to want to be with him.'  
  
Looking down at the boy resting in his arms, Tala rubbed his back lovingly. 'I can understand why he's confused, but I don't want that to make him unhappy. He looks so much more beautiful when he smiles.' Smiling to himself, he gently kissed the top of Kai's head.  
  
Feeling the kiss, Kai allowed himself a small smile. He nuzzled into Tala's chest and sighed. 'Just ignore everything else…'  
  
Aw. How cute. ^.^ Don't you just love sappiness from time to time?  
  
Please leave a review, and I'll update again by the weekend!  
  
PS-Sorry for the short chapter! 


	12. Tell me

Ah, yes. The weekend had indeed arrived, and that means, it's time for an update! But first, a note to:   
  
Coppelia- Yes, Bryan will show up within a few chapters, so you can rest easy. And in fact, since you've been looking forward to it so much, I'll dedicate the first chapter where he appears to you. Okie dokie? ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 12  
  
Normal POV  
  
A sharp, cold wind whipped around the abbey, catching in the corners and creating a deep moaning sound as it slipped through loose stones. It rose up to the roof, rattling the stones and embracing the figures that sat in silence.  
  
Staring out into the distance with a glazed, far off expression in his crystal blue eyes, Tala absently rubbed Kai's back, feeling it rise and fall with the boy's steady breathing. His breathing had become so even and calm, that for a moment Tala wondered if his companion had fallen asleep. The night was frigid, with the howling wind adding a particularly sharp bite, but with Kai resting snugly against him, the cold didn't seem so bad to Tala. He was content; completely satisfied with the moment they were sharing.   
  
  
  
Stirring softly, Kai opened his eyes and drew in a deep breath, readjusting to the reality around him. He hadn't been asleep, but Tala had lulled him into a peaceful state that allowed him time to think and clear out his thoughts. He was horribly tired, and wanted desperately to sleep, but had no desire to remove himself from Tala's arms. A small puff of steam escaped his lips and swirled like angry storm clouds before disappearing, as his warm breath hit the cold air. Instinctively, he buried his face into Tala's chest, trying to escape the cold.  
  
Running his fingers through Kai's midnight blue hair, Tala watched his companion thoughtfully. He certainly wasn't asleep, or at least, he was awake now, but didn't seem ready to speak. Realizing this, Tala remained silent. When Kai was ready, they would talk; Tala wouldn't force it.  
  
'I wonder if he's still trying to figure everything out.' Tala mused as he played absent-mindedly with a few strands of Kai's hair. 'I can understand why he's confused though; I went through the same thing not too long ago. It's hard to come to grips with the fact that you love someone, especially after so many years of being taught to block it out.' he smiled softly, lowering his hand to Kai's back. 'But he'll get through this, I don't expect something this small to do the great Kai Hiwatari in.'  
  
As he rubbed Kai's back soothingly, a small flake of pure white snow drifted down, landing on Tala's hand. The small flake stayed for only a few seconds before disappearing into a small drop of glinting water. Two more flakes fell; one on Kai's back and another on Tala's hand. They too quickly melted, but were soon replaced by more as the snow fell faster from the bellies of the clouds.  
  
Leaning forward, Tala whispered in Kai's ear, deciding it was time to bring him back to this world. "It's snowing." He said, causing Kai to open his eyes again.  
  
Rolling over onto his back while still resting on Tala's chest, Kai stared up at the sky, watching the snow drift lazily towards them. "Huh. Look at that." He sat up slowly, regretful to leave Tala's warm arms. He held a hand out in front of his face, trying to catch a few of the white flakes as they fell. The snow touched his palm and melted instantly into drops of water.  
  
Tala watched him, a small smile gracing his face as he observed the other boys actions. He wasn't going to try and hide his affections right then; he wouldn't have been able to even if he tried. 'He looks cute doing that, just like a little kid.'  
  
Unable to resist the urge to catch Kai while he was off guard, Tala reached out and ran his finger up Kai's spine, causing him to stiffen and shiver. Scarlet eyes threw him an accusing glare as Tala sat back and smirked at Kai's reaction. "Ticklish?" he asked.  
  
Kai glared at him, still feeling the shiver Tala's finger had sent through him. "Asshole."  
  
With laughter in his blue eyes, Tala leaned forward. "You see, know I know your weakness. You're ticklish."  
  
A low growl escaped Kai's throat as he glared daggers at the amused boy. "Don't you dare." His body began to tense up, in anticipation of an attack.  
  
"You don't even deny it."   
  
Kai shook his head. "Well, I'm not going to lie about it, if that's what you're wondering."  
  
Tala smiled, loving how Kai looked with snow falling around him and his hair being tossed by the wind. "Don't worry, I won't attack you now." He winked, slowly getting to his feet and reaching out a hand to help Kai up. "It's cuter when I catch you off guard."  
  
Kai regarded him skeptically and took his hand, making a mental note to stay on guard while Tala was around. No sense in risking that, especially since he had been given advanced warning of what was to come. He wondered, however, if his subconscious would allow Tala to catch him as a way to get close to the blue-eyed Russian. He shook his head, much to tired to ponder on anything else that night.  
  
Letting his hand linger in Kai's for a moment, Tala told him, "We should go inside before we get soaked. You agree?"  
  
Shrugging his shoulders indifferently, Kai replied. "Well, I don't mind, but if you really want to go inside…"  
  
"I do want to go inside." Tala told him. "Staying out here to freeze to death is your prerogative. I however, value my core body temperature."  
  
Rolling his eyes at the remark, Kai tried to hide his smile. "You are a real smart ass, you know that?"  
  
"A smart ass and an asshole, according to you."  
  
Kai nodded then cast him a shy smile. "Yeah, but it could be worse."  
  
Tala took both of his hands and grinned wolfishly as he walked backwards, leading Kai towards the trap door. "Oh yeah? How's that?"  
  
Suppressing a small shudder, Kai replied. "You could be Tyson." Memories of his former teammate ran through his mind. His eating habits, sleeping habits…Kai shook his head. 'Thank god Tyson doesn't have a twin. I don't think the world could handle that.'  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Tala regarded him questioningly. "Tyson…." The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he could put a face to it.   
  
Kai began to laugh, drawing another smile from Tala. "Forget it. Scary stories aren't meant to be told right before bedtime, you know."  
  
Shaking this off as one of the mysteries of Kai's past, Tala let it go, and decided to grill him about it later. Feeling the latch of the trap door hit his foot, he let go of Kai's hands and knelt down to open it. He twisted the latch and pulled it open, tossing off the thin layer of snow that had already formed over it. Swinging his legs into the opening, Tala grinned up at Kai. It was strange looking up at him like this, since he was normally taller, but he decided that the point of view didn't diminish Kai's beauty any.  
  
"Be sure to close the door after you come down, Kai." Tala told him as he began to descend the ladder.   
  
Kai knelt down next to the opening and stared the other boy in the eyes. "Who are you, my mother?" he said, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest his own words caused.   
  
Blue eyes glittered, as Tala's grin grew sly. "Now Kai. Would you have kissed your mother the way you kissed me under the bridge?"  
  
"You better move it or I'm going to push you off that ladder, Tala!"  
  
Blowing a kiss up toward Kai, Tala disappeared into the darkness of the abbey below. He climbed down the rest of the ladder, jumping off when he was a few feet from the bottom. The ladder shook violently from the force of his jump, and somewhere up above him, he could hear Kai growl. Grinning to himself, he stepped back from the wall and waited for Kai to appear.  
  
A few seconds later, the small square of starlight above them disappeared, and Kai came down the ladder, reaching the bottom before he stepped off. Brushing snow off of his pants, Kai mumbled under his breath to his blue-eyed companion.   
  
"You'll break the ladder if you keep doing that, Tala."  
  
Tala nodded sheepishly. He didn't want to discuss this here, not with the furnace looming over them again. He wanted to get out of that room as fast as possible. "Ok, lets get out of here."  
  
Nodding, Kai followed him towards the door, his eyes quickly adjusting to the lack of light. He too had no desire to stay there. That room never failed to give him the creeps. He had hated it as a child, and he hated it now.  
  
  
  
The stepped carefully around the various pieces of junk and trash that littered the floor and reached the door, escaping into the hallway. As Tala shut the door behind them, they breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to close that room off. They paused in the hallway, taking caution to make sure no one had seen them emerge from the boiler room. When they were sure the coast was clear, Tala turned to his shorter companion to say something, but his breath caught in his throat.  
  
Now that they were in the light, the dark bruises that marred Kai's face were plainly visible. Tala's eyes wandered over the rest of Kai's face and to his arms, searching for any other marks. He bit his lip, his eyebrows knitting in thought.  
  
'Those weren't there this morning. I wonder what happened.' A knot of worry rose up in his chest as he went over the possibilities. "Hey, Kai, why don't you stay in my room tonight?"  
  
Kai looked at him in surprise. He hadn't been expecting Tala to say that; it caught him by surprise. "Why?"  
  
Tala looked away and tried to think up a good reason. 'I can't tell him it's because I'm worried about those bruises he's got. He'd rather walk right into danger than let someone protect him.' "Because it's late and my room's closer. If you wander around you might get caught." He lied.  
  
Pausing to consider this, Kai nodded. It did make sense to just stay in Tala's room; they would have less of a chance of getting caught that way. Besides, he wasn't to going to turn down the opportunity to spend more time with Tala. In Tala's bed none the less…  
  
'Stop thinking improper thoughts, Kai.' He told himself. He didn't even what to venture into that train of thought. "Makes sense, Tala." He told him, and followed the blue-eyed boy towards his room.  
  
As Tala lead him down the hallway, he would glace back every few seconds to look at Kai. The boy didn't seem to be hurt in any other way, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. The location of the bruises worried him, it was as if someone had tried to pry open or hold open his mouth.   
  
'I wonder if something happened. And why didn't Kai tell me if something was wrong? He does trust me, right?' Tala pondered as he cast another worried glance at his friend.   
  
After about 5 glances, Kai noticed the attention and began to feel uncomfortable. "Something wrong, Tala?" he asked.   
  
Tala paused in the hallway and turned to face Kai. The serious look on his face made Kai even more uncomfortable, but he tried to ignore it.   
  
"Kai…no ones been hurt you…. have they?"  
  
With a jolt, Kai realized that Tala must have been referring to the bruises on his face. He tried to keep a calm expression on his face and in his voice as he replied. "No. Of course not. Why are you asking?" He could only hope that his voice wasn't shaking.  
  
Shaking his head, Tala decided that he wasn't going to mention Kai's face if he didn't want to discuss it, but still… "No reason, but if someone was, you'd tell me, right?"  
  
Kai paused, not willing to lie to Tala. He didn't want to admit anything Boris was doing, but he also didn't want to lie to Tala.  
  
"Of course." He lied, and felt like trash.  
  
Ah, there we go. A bit of a longer chapter. ^.^ Please review and I'll update by Wednesday the latest. 


	13. Blood and Feathers

It's Wednesday, so here is the update as promised!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 13  
  
Normal POV  
  
Tala squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the bright white light that burned all around him. He was standing on a flat surface that stretched out in every direction all around him, and shone with the same white color that he began to wonder if he was even standing on anything.   
  
'Damnit. What's with all this light?' He cursed silently, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes. He looked around, trying to catch sight of anyone or anything that might give him a clue as to where he was.   
  
  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement; flash of color. He spun around, glaring at the small, red object that floated lazily towards the ground below him. He held out a hand, catching it in midair and examining it closely.   
  
'A feather?' he thought as he held it up to his face. The plume was a fiery red color, warm to the touch and covered in a sticky substance that Tala could not right away identify. He touched the barbs gently, before pulling his hand away and examining his fingertips. 'Blood?'  
  
Another small flash of red caught his eye, this time drifting in on a non-existent wind. He caught that one too, and saw that it was, like the other, covered in blood, but this one seemed to have been snapped it half. His eyes drifted towards the direction the feather had come from, and spotted several more laying on the ground or drifting in the air.  
  
'What's going on here?' With both feathers clutched tightly in his fist, he began to follow the trail, his throat tight with worry and apprehension. He wanted desperately to run in the opposite direction; to forget about the feathers and the blood and focus on finding a way out of wherever he was; but something deep inside of him insisted that he continue. He needed to see where the feathers were coming from.  
  
-Tala…-  
  
He froze at the sound of the voice. It sounded like someone was calling him, but from a very far distance. The voice was weak, pained. Tala looked down at his hand, finally noticing that he was trembling. That voice, he knew it from somewhere, but he couldn't place it.   
  
-Please…. Tala…-  
  
There it was again. The trembling in his hands became so severe that the feathers were breaking apart in his grip. He dropped them and swallowed hard, trying to gather the courage to keep walking. The voice had sounded closer…and more desperate.  
  
Tala continued, following the trail of bloody feathers that littered the pure, white floor. His chest felt tight, as if someone were squeezing him. The urge to run the other way intensified, as he took one slow step at a time. Someone was calling him, someone in terrible pain. He needed to find the source of that voice.  
  
His eyes were trained on the ground as he walked. It was taking everything he had to just continue forward, he couldn't bear to lift his eyes. With each step forward, he noticed that the ground was slowly changing from blistering white, to a pale shade of pink.   
  
He took a shuddering breath, trying to suppress the urge to panic he felt rising within him. The ground was turning to an even darker shade of pink, and the feathers were growing more numerous and more bloody.   
  
His courage finally gave out and he froze, unable to move even another step forward. The pressure in his chest wouldn't subside, and if he kept going he feared he would soon be unable to breathe. His hands were shaking violently, so he laced his fingers together, trying to stop the tremors.  
  
-Please…help me Tala…-  
  
  
  
His hands shot up, covering his face as he squeezed his eyes shut. The voice was right in front of him now, but he was too terrified to look and see what it was. Digging his nails into the sides of his face, he tried to block out the memory of the voice. He would not look up; he would not confront it.  
  
It was too familiar. He knew that the voice was one he had heard before, but he could not put a name to it. All he knew was that who ever it was was in terrible pain. 'What's wrong with me? Why can't I open my eyes?'  
  
The voice came again, but this time there were no words, only a short, pained sob.  
  
With every part of his body protesting, Tala slowly lowered his hands. He was scared, more scared than he ever remembered being, but he couldn't put it off any longer. He had to open his eyes and confront the voice. His eyes opened slowly, rising cautiously from the pink floor.  
  
When his eyes locked with what was in front of him, he stepped back, horrified with what he saw. Tears began to well up in his crystal blue eyes, threatening to spill over onto his pale cheeks.  
  
"K-kai…"  
  
The boy was kneeling on the pink floor in front of him, his pale skin slick with blood and covered in deep, angry looking gashes. His silver hair was matted with blood; his face pained and tears leaking from his scarlet eyes. Kai's hands were bound in front of him, the white fabric used to tie him now stained with red, but by far, the worst was the wings.  
  
Two huge crimson wings extended from Kai's back; covered in the same fire red feathers Tala had been following. But the wings had been completely broken off so that all that remained were two jagged edges of bone protruding from Kai's pale skin, leaking blood over his sides to pool on the floor below him.  
  
Tala's tears began to blur his vision and he stepped back, trying to move away from the horrible scene in front of him. It couldn't be real, it just couldn't be…  
  
"Kai…" the name escaped Tala's mouth in a low whisper. His throat was so dry and his mind in such shock that he was surprised he could even form the words. "No…"  
  
At the sound of his name, Kai slowly raised his head, fixing his pained, scarlet eyes on Tala. "Tala…please help me…"  
  
Tala stepped back, closing his eyes tightly and trying to block out the image of Kai's pained face. 'No…No…'  
  
"Tala! Please!"  
  
Crystal blue eyes snapped open, slowly coming into focus. The white light was gone, the blood was gone, Kai was gone…all the remained was the dark ceiling above him. Tala sat up quickly, his breathing labored and sweat running down the small of his back. His eyes franticly looked around, slowly taking in the sights of his room. The dresser in the corner, the small window leaking in the smallest silver of moonlight through the snow, the picture on the bedside table…  
  
'It was just a dream.' He thought, getting control of his emotions. It was unlike him to freak out over a simple nightmare the way he did, but it had seemed so real. 'I could even smell the blood…'  
  
The sound of movement next to him caught his attention, and he looked over, his eyes meeting two slightly sleepy scarlet ones.   
  
"Tala? What's up?" Kai questioned, roused from his sleep by Tala's breathing.  
  
Tala looked at him closely, his pale face free of scars and blood. He was all right, the same way he had been when they had fallen asleep hours ago.   
  
Taking a deep breath the further steady his nerves, Tala shook his head. "Nothing. Just a dream."  
  
"That it?" Kai replied, rolling over onto his back. "I thought something was wrong." He closed his eyes, trying to fall back into the peaceful sleep he had been enjoying. If Tala was ok then there was no reason to stay awake; he was too tired.  
  
Tala watched him for a few seconds, taking in the peaceful face of his friend. The dream had seemed so real, as if it was actually happening. He lay down and gently pulled the silver haired boy towards him, his hands still trembling.  
  
Wow. What a crappy, short chapter. Sorry, but I'm kinda worn out today. ^.^ I have to do credit completion for school, so I've been up early for the past couple days. Anyway, please review and I'll update by….the weekend. 


	14. Kyoto

All right, I know I said I'd update by the weekend, but I wasn't home, so, sorry! ^.^ but in any case, here is the update!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 14  
  
Normal POV  
  
In Tala's opinion, that night seemed to stretch on forever. He lingered in a state of half sleep; too exhausted to stay awake, but still too afraid to sleep. Every few minutes he would nod off, only to reawaken with a start as the fear of another nightmare gripped him. The effects of the nightmare were still resonating in his head, as he went over it time and again, trying to decide what it all meant. Dreams were supposed to reflect a person's fears, and Tala did fear anything happening to Kai, but hadn't he heard somewhere that dreams contained much more subtle symbolism? The assumption that the dream meant only that Kai would be hurt seemed much too obvious. It felt like he was missing something.  
  
Frustrated with the lack of progress and growing more irritated by his mounting exhaustion, Tala began to toss and turn, trying to find a comfortable position. Cuddling up to Kai seemed like a good idea to him, but Tala was too afraid to wake the other teen up again, so he resisted the urge. Instead, he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything. The dream scared him, but not being able to understand it was even worse.   
  
"Symbols." Tala murmured, unaware that he was speaking aloud. "Dreams are all about symbols." He began to run through the dream again, thinking of anything that appeared repeatedly in the dream or seemed to hold some type of importance. "Feathers, blood, Kai…what else?" he wrinkled his nose in disdain. So far he wasn't getting anywhere. He just kept going over the obvious.  
  
The blue eyes slid closed as he recalled the events of the dream. There had to be something else; something so obvious that he wasn't seeing it. Starting from the beginning, he tried to replay the dream.   
  
"The first thing I saw was white light. Lots of white light." He made a note of this and began to mull on it. "What does white symbolize? Snow, heaven, cleanness…"  
  
His mumbled train of thought was interrupted as Kai, who had until a moment ago, had been sleeping quite peacefully, shot straight up in bed and growled at Tala in a hushed voice. "What the hell are you doing? You're freaking me out!"  
  
Tala felt his heart jump into his throat at the sudden movement, and suppressed a yelp of surprise. With his heart hammering against his chest, he tried to calm himself enough to form words. The lack of sleep was obviously getting to him. "I'm freaking YOU out? You're the one who jumped up like some kind of zombie!" He put a hand to his chest, feeling his racing heart slow down. "Geeze, you scared the crap out of me!" he whispered, trying hard to keep his voice low. He felt like yelling; not out of anger but out of sheer surprise.  
  
Kai turned towards him, the darkness hiding the small smile that crept onto his face. "I was sleeping and all I hear is you mumbling about stuff." He paused. "What were you talking about anyway?"  
  
Tala didn't have the heart to explain the dream to Kai, and in any case, he was starting to feeling slightly foolish for trying to analyze it. "I didn't mean to wake you up. Sorry." He said, quickly changing the subject.   
  
Ignoring the fact that Tala had completely dismissed his question, Kai lay back on the bed and buried his head into his companion's pillow. "Forget it, it's ok. So what are you doing up this late anyway?" he raised his head groggily and blew a piece of silver hair away from his face so he would see the clock.   
  
2:17am.  
  
"We don't have to be up for another two hours, Tala." Kai mumbled, rolling onto his back so he could look at the Russian teen better. Tala was sitting up now, a thoughtful look on his face. Kai frowned. "So, what's up?"  
  
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Tala looked down at Kai with a smile. "Just having trouble sleeping." He lay back next to Kai and put his hands behind his head, staring at the shadow covered ceiling. "Kai, tell me about where you lived."  
  
"Where I lived?"  
  
Tala nodded. "You lived in Japan before you came back here, right? Tell me about it."  
  
"Ok." Kai raised himself onto his elbows. "I don't really now what to say. My grandfather and I lived just outside of Tokyo most of the time, but he also had a house near Kyoto so sometimes we stayed there."  
  
"Why does he have two houses?" Tala questioned.  
  
Kai shrugged. "I think it's because Kyoto and Tokyo are two major centers of business."  
  
"Which did you like better?"  
  
"Kyoto or Tokyo?" Kai paused, considering this question. He had never really stopped to think about it. "I don't know."  
  
Tala smiled. "Keep going."  
  
"Japan is kind of nice." Kai continued. "There's a lot to do there, and Tokyo is a lot more fun at night than Moscow is. Not that I'm complaining about Moscow."  
  
A soft chuckle escaped Tala's lips. Kai would never complain about Moscow. As much as he tried to deny it, Kai loved his home city.  
  
"I'm envious of you, Kai." Tala said softly, causing Kai to give him a look of surprise.   
  
"Why?"  
  
Tala rolled over to look at him. "You've been to so many different places." He wrinkled his nose. "The furthest I've been from Moscow is Minsk."  
  
Kai considered this. It was true; he had been to a lot of different places in the world. When he had first left the abbey, he had spent a time with Mr. Dickinson, who had taken him to various countries in an attempt to help the traumatized boy adjust to life outside of the abbey. Even after he had been put back into the custody of his grandfather, he had still been able to travel a lot for tournaments.  
  
"I guess that's true." Kai admitted. "But how about I make you a promise."  
  
Tala looked over, surprise etched on his face. His blinked bright blue eyes up at his companion. "What do you mean?"  
  
Kai smiled and rolled over so he could look directly down at Tala. "Well, when we get out of here, I'll take you to Tokyo or Kyoto. Whichever you want."  
  
"Really?" Tala brightened at the promise. "You will?"  
  
Kai nodded. "Yeah. Of course." He settled back down and buried his head into Tala's neck. "I think you'd really like Japan, Tala."  
  
Tala wrapped his arm around Kai's shoulders happily. "You'll have to teach me Japanese, you know. I don't want to sound like an idiot when I get there."  
  
Nodding into Tala's warm neck, Kai told him, "Sure, but we'll think about that later. Right now I just want to sleep."  
  
Tala smiled and stroked Kai's hair. "Alright. Spokoiny nochi." He whispered, before closing his eyes and trying to slip into a peaceful sleep.  
  
Another slightly pointless chapter, but it'll be important later so…^.^ I'm also in a sort of 'Great Gatsby' mood right now, so that where the whole symbolism thing came in. Anyway, I'll update by Wednesday or Thursday, so please leave a review. 


	15. Sad Tala Look

* Does a happy cheer * It's Wednesday, and that means…it's update day!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 15  
  
Normal POV  
  
The early morning sun was barely peaking over the red walls of the Kremlin as Kai slowly roused from his sleep. He took a deep breath, trying to readjust with reality before slowly opening his eyes. Rolling over, he glanced at the clock on Tala's bedside table, and squinted at the numbers.   
  
4:32.  
  
Groaning a little at the thought of waking up when he was still so tired, he slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. Tala was still asleep beside him, and Kai was a little apprehensive of waking him up. It was obvious that the other boy hadn't had a good nights rest, so Kai didn't want to wake him up just yet. Tala deserved a little longer to sleep; they still had plenty of time before they had to report for training. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pushed up the sleeves of the blue sweater Tala had lent him the night before to sleep in. The sweater was slightly big on him, being as Tala was taller and had a slightly bigger frame than Kai did.  
  
-You look cute in that. -  
  
Kai smiled, recalling what Tala had said the night before when he had complained about the clothes being too big. 'He called me cute.' With a glance toward the sleeping teen, he chuckled softly. 'If he were anyone else, I'd have to kill him for that; but I guess I can let him get away with it…' Reluctantly, he left the bed, watching as Tala shifted in his sleep and moved towards the warm sheets Kai had left.  
  
He cracked his sore joints and went into the bathroom to take a shower, moving as quietly as possible as to not alert Tala. Shutting the door behind him, he turned on the light and blinked painfully as his eyes adjusted from the dark. When his eyesight returned, he looked in the mirror and glared at his own reflection. In the harsh yellow light, his bruises were even more evident, an ugly purple against his pale skin. They frustrated him, since there wasn't anyway for him to hide them. They were too far up to be covered by his scarf, and too low to be covered by his blue face paint.   
  
Shaking his head, he tried to formulate a plausible story for how he had obtained them, but came up with nothing. He would just have to hope Tala continued not to mention them, although he was sure the redhead suspected something, judging by the promise he had made Kai make the night before.   
  
Reaching over, Kai turned on the water in the shower and stripped reluctantly out of Tala's sweater. He liked that article of clothing a lot now; it was comfortable, both physically and emotionally.  
  
The sound of the shower being turned on woke Tala with a slight start. He had been teetering on the edge of sleep for a while now, and finally decided it was best to simply give up the fight and wake up completely. He reached over, feeling for Kai even though his rational mind knew he wasn't there. The sheets were still warm, which lead Tala to believe that he hadn't been alone long. Pulling in a deep breath, he grasped Kai's pillow and hugged it to his chest, letting his blue eyes slid closed again. The pillow wasn't nearly as comforting as hugging Kai would be, but at least it was something.  
  
The night before had felt so long and exhausting, but with the memory of Kai's promise to take him to Tokyo or Kyoto still fresh on his mind, Tala figured he would be able to make it through the day. Maybe he would be lucky and Boris wouldn't notice his lethargy.   
  
The shower water abruptly shut off, and Tala rolled over, trying to feign sleep. He wanted Kai to wake him up and bring him back to the real world, even if he was already awake. The bathroom door opened and Tala tried to hide his smile, knowing that Kai would know he was awake if he saw. The bed shifted slightly as Kai sat down, and still, he pretended not to be awake. A few moments of silence passed, before Kai spoke in a soft, amused voice.  
  
"Idiot, I know you're awake. You weren't hugging that pillow before."  
  
"…Damn you Hiwatari…"  
  
Kai laughed and reached over to play with some of Tala's fire red hair. "Come on, sleepy. We have training to do." Tala responded with a grunt and rolled over, his face blushing instantly when he realized that Kai wasn't dressed yet, and wore only a towel around his slim waist.   
  
Casting Tala a sheepish look, Kai told him, "I don't have any clothes with me. Let me borrow some?"  
  
With a violent shake of the head, Tala buried his head in the pillow again. "No." He told Kai, his voice slightly muffled. "I will force you to remain in that towel for the rest of the day."  
  
Kai looked away, his cheeks blushing furiously as he considered a response to this. "Ok…" he said slowly and deliberately. "I supposed I'll just have to sleep in my own room from now on. No more sleepovers with Tala…"  
  
Tala moaned and reached out a blind hand to try and hit Kai. "Jerk."  
  
"Clothes?"  
  
Conceding defeat, Tala nodded. "Take what you want." He said, letting his hand drop. Sitting up, he looked over to see Kai flushing a bright shade of red, and glanced down, realizing that he had let his hand fall on Kai's thigh.  
  
Both boys froze as Tala's skin color changed to match his hair. His cheeks burning, he jumped up, pulling his hand away.   
  
"I think I'll take a shower now!" he stammered, rushing off to the bathroom and shutting the door.  
  
  
  
Kai remained sitting for a few seconds longer, staring at the closed door. It was amazing to him how, although he had enjoyed the brief contact, he refused to admit it. With a sigh, he stood up and went to Tala's dresser to pick out something to wear. He needed something that wouldn't be too obvious that it was Tala's. They would have a hard time explaining that.  
  
He found something that was satisfactory and quickly got dressed as the shower shut off. He retrieved Dranzer from the table he had left her on and placed the blade in his pocket as the bathroom door opened. Turning around, he saw Tala with his head only sticking out the door; glaring at Kai.  
  
"What?" Kai asked, frowning at the look.  
  
Tala continued glaring. "Towel."  
  
As the realization that there was only one towel in that room and he had it dawned on Kai, he grinned. "So. The shoe is on the other foot now, it's it, idiot."   
  
Tala winced. "Come on Kai. Don't be a jerk." He protested, hoping that Kai was only playing around with him.   
  
Kai wandered over, holding the towel just out of reach of Tala. "And how exactly do I benefit from giving this to you?" He teased, enjoying watching him squirm.  
  
Hanging his head in defeat, Tala mumbled a response. Kai, who hadn't heard him, leaned forward to hear better.  
  
"What'd you say?"  
  
"You won't benefit…except…"  
  
Kai raised an eyebrow waiting for him to continue. "I benefit how?'  
  
Tala raised his head and looked in straight in the eyes, trying to look pathetic. "I won't make you face the Sad Tala Look."  
  
It was Kai's turn to wince now. He hadn't expected that. If there was one way for Tala to get his way with Kai, it was that damn pathetic puppy look. It had worked when they were children, and now doubt it would have the same effect now. It was Tala's secret weapon.   
  
Realizing it was his turn to concede defeat, Kai handed him the towel and watched as Tala disappeared with a self-satisfied look on his face. Kai sunk to the bed to wait, and a few minutes later, Tala emerged, fully dressed. He strolled over to the bed and stared at Kai.  
  
"What's your problem?' he asked, knowing that there couldn't be anything seriously wrong with his friend.   
  
Kai looked up, his scarlet eyes shining. "Stupid boy." he muttered, eliciting a laugh from Tala. He sat down on the bed next to his silver haired friend and grinning.  
  
"I suppose that we are even for now, eh jerk?" Tala said, elbowing Kai gently in the side.   
  
Kai nodded and replied. "Truce for now."   
  
A nice little light hearted chapter. I figured they would be good since the story is going to get a little bit dark in a few chapters. The next chapter might be a little dark, and it will include Ian and * gasp * Bryan? Most likely yes! ^.^ When the weekend is upon us, I will update, so please review! ^.^ 


	16. Boiling Point

Saturday is update day! Yippee! Very many thanks for all the reviews. ^.^ They make me very happy. And as promised, Bryan will appear in this chapter, so. this chapter is dedicated to Coppelia! I changed the rating due to language. Bad, bad Bryan.  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 16 Normal POV  
  
With the arrangement for a temporary truce behind them, Tala and Kai left the bedroom in silence. Now that they were out in the hallway, they had to be careful about what they said and did. It would be far too easy for someone to overhear their conversation, which would only serve to land the boys in even more trouble. The atmosphere in the abbey was already more tense than normal with Kai's return, so everyone, and especially Kai and Tala, were careful to watch their step and were walking on eggshells.  
  
In the highest corner of the wall, a camera picked on movement in the hallway and immediately turned to focus. The glass lens spun and twisted, bringing the blurry image of the two boys into clear focus. As they walked with indifferent expressions and self-confident postures, the camera moved to maintain surveillance, until they were out of range and picked up by another monitor.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Tala watched the camera twist to maintain focus. There was another one their left as well, and probably at each of the far ends of the corridor, so they would not be able to hide anything from sight. There was a slight whirring sound as the system moved back to its original position.  
  
He cast a look at Kai, who was keeping his eyes focused ahead of them and ignoring Tala completely. Boris was watching them with out a doubt right at that very moment, from the surveillance tower or his private chamber. They wouldn't be able to do anything without being observed.  
  
The duo entered the main intersection of the underground tunnels. All around them were the dark entrances to various parts on the abbey. Some tunnels would lead to the dungeons, while others lead to training rooms or the upper levels of the complex. There was one tunnel however, that was blocked off, sealed by a solid steel door that had been recently installed. Tala knew that the blocked off tunnel was the one that lead into the labyrinth that would eventually lead to sealed room that housed the Black Dranzer. Boris obviously didn't trust Kai with the power that blade possessed, so he had extra security put on it. Tala smiled, knowing that if Kai really wanted to get in there, he would find a way.  
  
With only a few moments hesitation, they took the tunnel that lead to the wing of the abbey the Demolition Boys trained in. During drills and training, the team was kept isolated from the rest of abbey residents. It was a security measure, so that no failed abbey resident would be able to let any classified information slip. They continued down the hall, ignoring the numerous cameras that tracked their movements. Everything was more closely monitored here than anywhere else in the complex, with more cameras and listening devices and gun like contraptions that lined the ceiling, pointing downwards.  
  
They stopped in front of the wooden doors that lead into the small kitchen the Demolition Boys utilized. They stepped inside and shut the door behind them. The kitchen was usually bustling with one or more members of the slightly disgruntled kitchen staff, but this morning it was empty, save for the short figure that stood near the table, a slightly perplexed expression on his face.  
  
Tala walked over to him. "Morning Ian." He greeted, looking down at the silver platter on the table that held the smaller boys attention. "What's this?" he asked with a slight frown.  
  
Ian looked up at him with a shrug. "I'm assuming it's our breakfast." He mumbled as Kai wandered over to take a look. The crimson eyes focused on the platter and soon glazed over with the same confused expression the other two boys had.  
  
"Mushrooms?" he questioned, picking up one of the small brown fungi and examining it closely. This was indeed an odd occurrence. The abbey residents were given two meals a day; a breakfast and dinner that consisted of a specially prepared diet designed to keep them alive and healthily while feeding them as little as possible. This meal was strange, and yet it triggered a specific memory.  
  
Ian shook his head helplessly and looked at Tala. "I think Boris is mad at us." he mumbled, earning a small smile from the red haired boy.  
  
Kai shrugged. "I guess we should be grateful he isn't making us pick them again." He said, eliciting grunts of agreement from his companions as they remembered that training exercise.  
  
Years ago, the entire team had been dropped in the middle of pine forests outside of Moscow and were told to pick mushrooms. Whatever they found would be their dinner when they got back to the abbey. If they couldn't find anything or if they picked ones that were poisonous, that was their problem. They had searched through the pine needle littered forest for hours with no success, until they remembered that no mushrooms grew in pine forests. Suffice it to say, they went hungry that night.  
  
"I'm still trying to decide if Boris did that on purpose or not." Tala mumbled, folding is arms over his chest. Ian and Kai locked eyes and agreed.  
  
"I'll bet he did." Ian said.  
  
Tala shrugged and snatched two mushrooms from the pile. "Where is everyone else?" he asked as Ian picked something off of his own breakfast and flicked it into the corner.  
  
"Training room I guess." He replied, slowly eating. His eyes shifted from Tala to Kai. "Bryan seems a little pissed off though. He was slamming things around in here before."  
  
With a frown, Tala cast a look at Kai, who looked as clueless as he felt. Why was Ian bothering to tell them this anyway? "Alright." Tala said, moving towards the door. "I'll take care of it. See you later Ian."  
  
Kai mimicked the farewell and began to follow Tala from the room. As he was about to step outside the door, Ian's voice called him back. The scarlet-eyed blader hesitated in the doorway. Tala was already outside but had stopped when he realized Kai was no longer with him. Raising an elegant eyebrow, Kai regarded the shorter boys questioningly.  
  
Ian gave him a serious look; the joking attitude they had held earlier was gone. "Kai." He said, his voice flat and emotionless. "I don't think Bryan's too happy that you're back."  
  
Kai forced a laugh and looked away. "Yeah, well, he isn't the only one." He mumbled, moving to leave again when Ian called him again. He threw the smaller boy a glare, waiting for him to continue, but Ian just hesitated, looking down at the table.  
  
Ian had wanted to ask Kai about what had happened the night before with Boris, but suddenly it didn't seem like this was the right time. Tala was still lurking outside and the chances that he would overhear were too great. There was a fragile, shaky trust between Ian and the silver haired blader right now, and Ian wasn't too keen on turning the Phoenix against him. The conversation would just have to wait until later.  
  
"Forget it," he mumbled, giving Kai a look that said he still had something to say. "We'll talk later Kai."  
  
Kai frowned, wondering why Ian was putting off whatever he needed to discuss with him. Not being able to think of anything, he shrugged it off and left, catching up with Tala.  
  
The blue-eyed blader glanced at him as he joined him. "What did Ian say?" he questioned. He hadn't been able to hear what Ian had said, but he had caught Kai's reply and was curious. His companion shrugged and they continued towards the main training room.  
  
"Nothing important." Kai told him and Tala rolled his eyes. The two- word response was Kai's idea of elaborating on the topic, typical. He wanted to question him further, but was forced to put it off until later as they reached the training room. With emotionless looks gracing their faces, they stepped inside made their way to the middle of the room, joining the two other boys that occupied the room in a line in front of a raised platform.  
  
Tala gave his team a curt nod of greeting and stood quietly in line with Kai next to him. The boys were silent and ignoring each other, except for Bryan, who shot Kai a death glare every few seconds. Kai ignored the looks, but Tala began to notice and frowned. He would have to talk to Bryan about that later. He faced forward again as Ian came rushing in, taking his place beside Kai mere seconds before Boris swept into the room, his eyes taking in the team as he stepped onto the platform.  
  
He allowed his eyes to sweep over the boys, ignoring Ian, Bryan and Spencer for the most part and focusing his attention on Tala and Kai. He smiled, his roaming over their bodies from underneath the mask he wore. Tearing his eyes away, he began to speak in a monotone voice, giving the same loyalty speech to the boys that he had given when they were children.  
  
The Russians listened attentively, and by the time he was finished they all looked slightly glazed over. The speech had been designed, for all intents and purposes, to help brainwash the boys, and by the looks of things, it still worked.  
  
He smirked, planning out his next move carefully. The trick was to split them up from training so that the pairing would work to his best advantage. Ian and Tala were like brothers, so they wouldn't be put together; Ian would be put with Spencer instead. Kai and Tala were much too close for comfort, so they would have to split up too. There was some obvious tension between Kai and Bryan from what Boris had observed that would make putting them together interesting, but he had other plans for Kai, so Bryan would be left with the team captain.  
  
"Ian and Spencer, you will be in the north training room. Bryan and Tala will be in the west room." Boris said gruffly before letting his eyes drift to Kai and giving him a predator's smile. "And Kai will be in the south training room. Dismissed."  
  
He left the room without a glance back, heading off to parts unknown as the team gathered themselves and headed off in pairs to their designated rooms for drills. Kai sighed and exchanged a look with Tala. It figured that they wouldn't be allowed to train together, they should have known. He followed Tala and Bryan out into the hallway and started towards the south wing. Before he left however, Tala gave him a barely visible wink and Kai was forced to hide his smile.  
  
Tala watched the silver haired blader disappear before heading off towards the west training room with Bryan close behind. There was a definite moody air surrounding the violet haired blader that Tala tried to ignore, but when recalled Ian's words, he decided to say something.  
  
Without looking at him, Tala addressed the boy. "What's your problem?"  
  
Bryan glared at him. "Isn't it obvious?"  
  
Tala said nothing and kept walking, looking straight ahead and waiting for the boy to continue.  
  
"It's because that brat Kai is back." Bryan finished, his voice lowering to a growl. Tala glanced at him, not surprised.  
  
"What's wrong with Kai being back?" Tala asked carefully, trying not to sound too interested. He had to approached this carefully so he wouldn't seem too close to Kai.  
  
Bryan's eyes were flashing with anger. "He thinks he's so great because he's Boris's favorite. Thinks he's so much better than us."  
  
The words nearly cause Tala to stop dead in his tracks. "What do you mean he's Boris's favorite?" he said, trying to sound angry instead of shocked. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"Don't bullshit me Tala. Haven't you noticed the way Boris is always looking at him and paying attention to him?" He scowled. "It's like he thinks Kai is some great gift."  
  
Tala bit his tongue, not responding. When he thought back, he had noticed Boris paying a lot of attention to Kai, but he had always assumed that it was because Boris no longer trusted the silver haired Russian. Now he was beginning to wonder. His mind wandered back to the bruises on Kai's face, and he began to worry that they somehow might be connected to Boris's attentiveness to the boy.  
  
"Damn lapdog. I'll bet he's letting Boris fuck him or something."  
  
Instantaneously, Tala's fist shot out and caught Bryan in the face before the boy even had a chance to react. He stumbled back against the wall, holding his rapidly swelling eye and glaring daggers at Tala.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!" he shouted, ignoring the fury that was burning in Tala's blue eyes. The captain looked about ready to kill someone.  
  
Tala clenched his fists until his hands began to hurt. His eyes were flashing in fury at what Bryan had said. "Do not say that about Kai, understand?!" he hissed, his voice low and threatening.  
  
Bryan straightened himself up and removed his hand from his injured eye. It was swelling and turning an ugly shade of blue, but he ignored it, focusing all of his attention on the enraged team captain. His fists clenched at his sides, trembling as he resisted the urge to attack the red haired Russian.  
  
"What's wrong Tala?" he taunted, his voice shaking with barely contained rage. "You have some kind of thing for that traitor?"  
  
Tala narrowed his eyes dangerous and growled a response. "I'm warning you Bryan."  
  
Bryan smirked. "It figures. Ever since he came back you've been following him around like some kind of lost puppy. So tell me, does he scream when you fuck him too?"  
  
All the self-control Tala had suddenly disappeared at those words. He shot forward, grabbing Bryan by the collar and slamming him against the wall. He brought his face inches away from Bryan's and glared dangerously at him.  
  
"You better what your mouth, Bryan." He growled, his voice low. "I'm warning you, I'm not going to put up with it."  
  
Bryan grabbed his arm and tried to push him off half-heartedly. "Let go of me." Tala ignored his words and didn't release him.  
  
"Don't ever say anything bad about Kai while I'm around, understand? I'm not understanding like some people are."  
  
Bryan glared at him, his eyes shooting daggers, but said nothing.  
  
Whew. So there you have it! * Looks around and hopes Bryan fans don't try to kill her. * I know I promised a dark chapter, but I rearranged the order in which some stuff happened, so the dark chapter will be next time. It made more sense this way. Please review, and the next update will be on Wednesday! 


	17. Before You Die

I managed to not get killed by Bryan fans! Yay! Thanks for the reviews everyone! ^.^ They make me happy. And now…  
  
This chapter is dedicated to InSaNe RaPtOr PuNkZ and my friend BB, who both drew me really pretty fan art! Thanks guys! ^.^  
  
-And one more thing: this chapter contains some "non-consensual" Boris/Kai, so be forewarned.   
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 17  
  
Normal POV  
  
A thin line of light appeared in the otherwise dark room as the large doors that cut it off from the rest of the world slowly swung open. A sole figure was silhouetted in the doorway, his figure dark against the brightness of the hallway. He stepped inside, shutting the doors behind him and closing the room into darkness once again. He remained hidden in the darkness for a few seconds, until his hand fell on a switch and pale yellow light flooded the room.  
  
Kai sighed to himself, observing the silent bleakness of the training room. The south room was one hardly ever used, even though it was large enough for several matched to take place at the same time. Two rows of dishes ran across the length of the floor, each flanked by two circular trap doors in the floor. It was through those trap doors that many bladers had disappeared. Where they went, Kai didn't know, and he wasn't too interested in finding out for himself.   
  
Putting his hand into his pocket, Kai's fingers found Dranzer's blade and turned it over in his hand. The blade grew warm, responding to his touch, and Kai felt reassured. He hadn't trained in such a long time that he was worried the firebird that occupied his blade would be feeling neglected.   
  
He pulled the blue blade from his pocket and examined the glimmering surface. The bit in the center glowed red briefly, and Kai was once again awed by the beautiful of the Phoenix. Even after so many years of training and being her master, Kai could still appreciate what an amazing creature Dranzer was.  
  
Glancing around the cavernous room, Kai thought to himself about how he wanted to train today. He would have liked an opponent, but he would have to do without one, and train by himself. It was nothing new, he had done it before. When he had been with Bladebreakers, he had trained by himself almost every morning before the rest of team had woken up.  
  
Pulling his launcher out of another pocket, he prepared Dranzer and stood near on of the dishes. Maybe he would have Dranzer practice jumping from dish to dish to keep her speed and endurance up. Deliberately avoiding standing on the trapdoors, Kai raised his launcher and was preparing to begin, when he was distracted by the sound of the large doors opening and closing.  
  
He turned around and was confronted by the slyly smiling face of the abbey director. As his scarlet eyes locked with the older man's lifeless and emotionless ones, the smile on the man's face seem to grow, if possible, even more threatening.  
  
"By all means. Don't let me distract you Kai." Boris told him, moving to stand beside the Russian teen. Kai narrowed his eyes, he didn't like this very much already.  
  
He directed his attention back to his blade, trying to focus his energy and send it to Dranzer, but the presence of the director beside him was making him nervous and on edge. The memories of what had happened the last two times Kai had an encounter with the man were still fresh on his mind, and he was starting to worry something like it would happen again if he wasn't careful.   
  
Trying to ignore Boris completely, Kai launched Dranzer into the dish. The phoenix hit hard and immediately dislodged one of the stone bricks that made up the dish's surface as the blade fed off of Kai's dislike for the man standing beside him.  
  
A smile crept across Boris's face as he watched the blue blade trace a line of sparks around the dish. It was just as he had expected. "You've grown stronger, young Kai." He sneered. "I thought you might have."  
  
Kai heard his words and decided to ignore them. What could he possibly have to say to the despicable man? He was supposed to thank his jailer and resident abbey psychotic for the compliment? For a second he considered responding with an insult, but decided against it. Why stir up more trouble for himself? Instead, he focused on Dranzer spinning in the dish, trying to feed the blade more energy.   
  
Boris waited several seconds for a response before finally speaking up again. "What's wrong Kai? I know you aren't some kind of mute, I've heard you speak before." This was said in a sarcastic way as the man fixed a dangerous, lustful glare on the boy.  
  
Kai remained silent, pretending he hadn't heard the words.  
  
"You'll speak to Tala and the others, but not to me? I'm insulted."  
  
The scarlet eyes rose from the dish for the briefest second as Kai fixed Boris with a glare, warning him silently that he did not want to be messed with. Boris saw and acknowledged the look, but stepped closer to Kai anyway. The day he let himself be intimidated by one of his students was the day he lost all control over them.   
  
Boris let his eyes wander over the boy's body. The silver haired phoenix seemed to be on the defense. His body was tense, as if preparing for an attack at anytime. And although the scarlet eyes were trained solely on the dish and the blade in front of him, Boris knew Kai was watching him out of his peripheral vision.  
  
With one quick movement, Boris reached out to grab Kai's launcher from him, but his hand touched only air as Kai anticipated his movement and moved away just the slightest bit. He kept himself just out of the man's reach, his heart pounding as adrenaline rushed though his veins in anticipation of an attack.   
  
Boris snarled at him. He hadn't expected Kai to be quite that quick, but it was obvious that the blader had improved his skills greatly since the last time they had seen each other. It would be harder to catch him off guard now.  
  
Kai clutched his launcher tighter as he felt Boris's gaze sweep over him. He felt cold suddenly, as if the room's temperature had dropped several degrees in a matter of seconds.   
  
Circling behind the boy as if he were a predator examining his prey, Boris tried to spot Kai's weak spot. He knew the boy had one; it was all just a matter of finding it. He was aware of the alert scarlet eyes following his every movement, and knew that this was all a game of who could observe the other better. He smirked. Of course he would win this little game, Boris had been watching people for his entire life, and as alert as Kai was, he wasn't nearly as experienced.  
  
Boris's cold eyes drifted up the back of Kai's pale neck, and he felt realization dawn up in him. His neck. Kai had always had a thing about his neck. He hated people touching it, and tensed up whenever he felt someone come remotely close to it. That was the reason he had started wearing that long white scarf of his, to protect the place he felt was most vulnerable.  
  
Boris grinned sadistically. If he went after Kai's neck, the boy would do anything to defend himself, which might leave his other defenses open. He worked out the idea in his head for a few seconds, before he decided how to approach it.   
  
  
  
He stood behind the boy, aware of the gaze on him, and slowly and cautiously brought his hands up to Kai's neck. Seconds before the tips of his fingers brushed against the pale skin, Kai noticed and whirled around, bringing his hands up to protect his throat and push Boris's hands away.  
  
Boris grinned and quickly grabbed his protégée's wrists before the boy had a chance to push him away. Realization of the mistake he had made clouded Kai's face as Boris tightened his grip on the boy's wrists and used his weight to force the teen off balance.  
  
Kai stumbled back a few steps and tried to maintain his balance as Boris used his superior size and weight to push the boy to the ground.  
  
His head hit the stone floor with a sickening crack, and his vision swam before his eyes. Momentarily stunned, he stopped struggling, allowing Boris the opportunity to sit on his chest and kneel on his hands, pinning the boy to the cold stone floor.  
  
Kai tried to suck in a deep breath and relieve the pounding pain in his head, but the pressure on his chest constricted his breathing. Boris was much heavier than he thought, and he began to fell like he was being crushed. He tried to struggle but found it futile. Boris was much too heavy to throw off from his position, and with his hands pinned, he didn't have much to defend himself with.   
  
'I can't breath! He's going to kill me!' Kai began to feel slightly panicked as he tried to draw in a breath and found it nearly impossible. His ribs were struggling just to support Boris's weight, and wouldn't allow his chest to rise and draw in air.  
  
Boris smiled as he watched the boy struggle beneath him. At long last, he finally had complete control over the boy. He leaned forward, putting more weight of Kai's chest and enjoying watching the boy wince in discomfort and panic.  
  
"I…can't breathe!" Kai gasped desperately, praying that for whatever reason, Boris would get up and relieve the crushing weight.  
  
A calloused hand reached up to brush the fine silver bangs away from Kai's distressed face. The fingers lingered on his face, stroking his cheek. "Now Kai, fighting will only make you weaker. Just relax." Boris teased. Kai tried to pull his face away from the touch, but Boris grabbed his hair and held him still.  
  
Involuntary tears came to the scarlet eyes as Boris pulled his hair roughly and added to the pain already pounding in his skull and building in his chest. He pulled the boys head up and leaned in close so that their lips were almost touching.   
  
Boris's breath felt hot and sticky against Kai's sweating face as he whispered to the phoenix. "Just be a good boy, Kai. Just behave yourself." The hand left his face and moved to Boris's waist. The older man began to unbuckle his belt and Kai felt horror consume him as he realized what was going to happen.  
  
Kai turned his head away and shut his eyes. "N-no. Please don't."   
  
His body began to tremble as he heard Boris unzip his pants and whisper in hushed voice. "Open your mouth Kai."  
  
Keeping his face turned away, Kai shook his head violently and squeezed his eyes tighter shut, trying to block everything out. When he opened his eyes, this would be all have been some horrible nightmare. He would wake up in bed next to Tala, and everything would be all right.  
  
Boris snarled at his disobedience and slammed his head back into the floor, sending a wave of pain and dizziness rocketing through Kai's skull. It felt like his skull was cracking open from the inside, but he kept his head turned away, tears leaking out from under his closed eyelids.  
  
"Do as I say!" Boris growled and slammed his head down again. Kai resisted, but allowed a small whimper to escape his lips. He was feeling light headed from the lack of air and the pain in his head, but he wouldn't give up. He couldn't.  
  
Surprisingly, a small chuckle reached Kai's ears and penetrated the haze that was beginning to cloud his mind. He opened one eye slowly and tentatively, trying to find the reason why Boris was laughing.   
  
Boris smirked, and felt the shiver that ran through Kai's body at the expression. "Fine then. If you won't do it willingly, I have ways to force you."  
  
He released Kai's hair, letting his head fall back to the floor, and instead pinched Kai's nose shut, his other hand clamping on his neck and squeezing. Panic rose up in him again, as what little air he had been receiving was suddenly cut off.  
  
"You're already weak, how long can you last without breathing?" Boris sneered, finding distinct pleasure in watching Kai struggle to throw him off. There was something so beautiful about the way the boy struggled as he neared death. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Kai's forehead. "There's something so beautiful about the way you look before you die."  
  
Kai's heart was pounding in desperation and his lungs were beginning to burn as they strained for air. The man shifted slightly on his chest, and Kai heard the sickening crack as some of his ribs finally gave out. He held back a cry as pain shot through him. He tried to thrash his head back and forth in an attempt to force Boris to release his grip, but the man simply held on tighter.   
  
Tears spilled over onto his cheeks as his mind began to cloud and his body grew numb. There was darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision, and Kai was having a heard time keeping coherent thoughts in his head. The only thing he could think of was how he was going to die like this.  
  
'I don't want to die this way!' He realized, and finally surrendered, opening his mouth to gasp for air. His broken ribs sent waves of pain though his chest as he tried to inhale, but he ignored it.   
  
The second he had opened his mouth, Boris had released his hold on Kai's nose and throat, and moved to hold his jaw open. As he squeezed his cheeks to prevent him from shutting his jaw, the other disappeared into his robes, pulling out a small dagger. He pressed the cold steel to Kai's neck and growled at him a low voice.  
  
"You do exactly what I tell you, or I'll kill you right here. Then I'll go and kill your little friends. Understand?"  
  
Kai tried to blink though his tears and let out a small wail as Boris pushed his hips forward and fisted a hand in his hair.  
  
"Be a good boy now, Kai."  
  
* * *  
  
Kai rolled his head to the side, tears now running freely down his cheeks as he coughed and choked. He felt sick, and had the overwhelming urge to throw up. Boris was still on his chest, putting pressure on his already broken ribs and stroking Kai's silver hair fondly.  
  
"What kind of blader are you, crying like that?" he taunted. He laughed; enjoying the pain he was causing the boy. This is what he had always wanted. For a long time, he had been dreaming about watching Kai suffer like this, and know he had his chance. No one was around to help the boy this time.   
  
Choking back a sob, Kai tried to catch his breath, his ribs burning each time he inhaled. He was trembling violently, but made no move to calm himself. He didn't care if Boris knew he was scared, he had already proven himself weak. It didn't matter anymore. His distress mind was on the verge of shutting down anyway, and Kai was welcoming the peaceful darkness that was beginning to creep over him. He wanted to fall into a deep sleep and never wake up again.  
  
He shut his eyes; Boris's taunts becoming more distant. It didn't matter what was happening anymore, he just wanted to disappear. He wanted to fade into oblivion.   
  
For what seemed like quite a while, he lay there, crying silently and beating himself up inside for being weak, until an unfamiliar noise caught his attention. It was a short, fleeting noise, but was quickly followed by another strange sound.  
  
He slowly opened his eyes, his fogged mind slowly coming back into focus. '…A…voice?'   
  
He rolled his head over, looking towards the door. A figure was silhouetted there, against the lights from the hallway. The figure was talking, but Kai couldn't make out any words. 'There's someone else here.'  
  
His thoughts came into clearer focus, and he was able to comprehend that the figure in the doorway was an abbey guard, and that he was saying something to Boris.  
  
"Of course he doesn't need the hospital ward. Why would he?"  
  
Kai raised his head. He didn't feel so confused anymore, he could figure out what was going on. That was Boris talking now; his voice was much closer. The 'he' Boris was talking about must be him. So that meant that the guard had sensed something was wrong…  
  
The guard muttered something that Kai couldn't hear, and Boris through the still distressed boy a look as though this was all his fault. The director turned back to the guard and hissed at him in a voice that sounded too angry for the situation. Boris had been caught doing something be shouldn't be, and now he was using his anger to cover it up.  
  
"Are you suggesting that I am some how mistreating the students here?" Boris hissed, and Kai shuddered at the tone of voice. His tears were slowly subsiding, but there was no doubt that he was still a mess.  
  
"Get out." Boris growled to the guard, who quickly obliged. "Your job is not to tell me what to do." when the guard had disappeared, Boris looked down at Kai, who managed to look defiant, despite how he was feeling inside.  
  
For several seconds, the room was silent, as Kai waited in fear of what was to come next. Boris looked the boy over quickly, before climbing to his feet and straightening himself up. With the pressure lifted from his chest, Kai tried to take in a deep and very necessary breath, but was halted when the pain from his bruised abdomen intensified.   
  
Boris refused to look down at him as he muttered angry instructions. "You're lucky Kai. I have other things that demand my attention. Now get off the floor and clean yourself up. That's no way for a warrior to behave." Without another word, he stalked out of the room, leaving Kai alone, still trembling and drawing in small, shaky breaths.  
  
When he was sure the man was gone, he slowly picked himself up, trying not to jar his broken ribs anymore than he had to. The pain was excruciating, but after everything he had just gone through, he refused to give up now.   
  
Kai walked to the door on shaking legs and pushed it open; taking care to make sure the hallway was clear before he stepped outside. He wanted to avoid people and questions at all costs. He wasn't able to admit to himself what had happened, let alone tell anyone else.   
  
Luck seemed to finally be on his side as he made it to his room without running into anyone. He slipped inside his dark sanctuary, breathing a small sigh of relief. He could ignore the physical pain, and while he was in this room, he might be able to block out what had happened. He moved to his dresser and pulled out a long roll of stiff bandages that were designed to help support broken ribs.   
  
He sat on the bed and twisted the bandages around his chest with shaking hands. He was ashamed of himself for being weak, and even more ashamed that he had actually shed tears. An echo of his grandfather's voice sounded in his head; a firm reminder that he was not brought up to be emotional. Emotions were for weak.  
  
"Emotions are for the weak." Kai muttered under his breath. "And I will not be weak."   
  
* Sobs * Poor Kai! But I had to do it! It's important to the plot. Yes, there is a plot; it just might not be too obvious yet.   
  
As always, next update is during the weekend, so please leave a review! 


	18. Genetically Perfect

Sorry for the late update everyone! My weekend got really busy really fast.   
  
* Eats the big cookie she was given * Thank you for the cookie Babs! ^.^  
  
And thank you to everyone who reviewed. They make me happy. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 18  
  
Normal POV  
  
Tala glared into the lavender eyes in front of him, matching the rage he saw there with a fury of his own. He tightened his grip of the front of Bryan's shirt as the boy made no move to get away from him. The fact that Bryan wasn't trying to fight back was becoming unnerving. It was true that Tala was stronger than he was, but the boy would at least put up a fight.  
  
"I asked you if you understood Bryan!" Tala growled. He wanted to make sure he was making himself perfectly clear to the boy.   
  
Bryan narrowed his eyes and scoffed at the redhead. "Since when do you let your anger get the best of you Tala?" he mocked. "I always thought you were cold and emotionless."  
  
"I guess you thought wrong."  
  
Bryan sagged a little. That wasn't true. Tala had always been a cold-hearted bastard, and he knew it. And yet recently he had gone through a drastic change. He was less brooding and didn't seem so damn depressed anymore. It was as if he had gone through a metamorphous.   
  
'Is it because of Kai? Tala started acting different when he came back. Did Kai somehow change him?' Bryan shook his head to clear those thoughts away. He didn't want to think that it was Kai who had finally been the one to break through to the stoic captain. Kai didn't deserve the privilege of being close to Tala.  
  
He closed his lavender eyes, recalling something that had happened nearly a year ago, something he knew Tala didn't want him to bring up. Something Tala hated to think about. And yet, mentioning it was something Bryan wanted to do. The same memory that Tala hated was one he cherished dearly. It was important.  
  
"Tala." He mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. "That last time we stood like this, it was the other way around, but I wasn't trying to attack you."  
  
Blue eyes widened as Tala realized what Bryan was referring to. He released his grip on the boy and felt two hands seize his shoulders. He glared at Bryan, who was now wearing a self-satisfied smirk.   
  
"Bryan, let go of me." He growled, but the lavender haired boy only shook his head.  
  
He leaned forward, causing Tala to growl in warning. "I won't. This is how it should be."  
  
Tala reached up and pried the hands off of him. The grip on his shoulders resisted briefly, but he managed to push them away. "Get off of me, Bryan. This will not happen."  
  
The pale face in front of him quickly went from good-humored to twisted by anger. There were very few times anyone had ever said no to Bryan, and this was one of the ones he would not stand for. He glared at Tala, his eyes filled with anger and disgust.  
  
"Why's that?" he hissed. "You didn't say that last time."  
  
Tala could feel his own anger starting to rise, but unlike Bryan, he managed to keep it carefully hidden away. The lavender haired blader wanted to get a rise out of him. He knew that Tala wasn't proud of the last encounter they had shared, and although it had happened nearly a year ago, Bryan refused to let it pass as nothing.  
  
Narrowing his eyes, he replied in a calm tone that was more dangerous and bone chilling than Bryan's angered words. "You took advantage of me last time."  
  
"Did I?"  
  
  
  
With those calm words, Tala felt his emotions reaching an uncontrollable extreme. "You took advantage of my vulnerability, Bryan!" he said, trying hard not to yell. "You knew I was upset and you took advantage!"  
  
Bryan seized the narrow shoulders of his captain once again and pushed him backwards, pinning him against the wall. "Well then you shouldn't have let yourself be vulnerable!" Anger and distress clouded his face as he tightened his grip. "It's because of Kai, isn't it?"  
  
No answer.  
  
He ripped his eyes away from Tala's, unwilling to look his captain in the face any longer. The lack of a reply to his question had only confirmed his fears. His grip tightened more as Tala's barely contained anger went unnoticed.  
  
'I will not let Tala get away. I can't."  
  
For him, this moment had been a long time coming. It had seemed like an eternity ago that he had realized how beautiful his captain had become. The childlike features had vanished, and the red-haired teen had taken on a more mature and desirable appearance like a butterfly from a chrysalis.   
  
Bryan had longed for the enigmatic boy's attention for so long. He would deliberately put himself around him, trying to spend as much time as he possibly could with the captain. All he longed for was for Tala to notice his existence beyond that of just another beyblader. But just when he seemed to be on the verge of something bigger with him, the beautiful redhead had been stolen away.  
  
That was the real reason he hated Kai. The silver haired blader had simply waltzed back into the abbey and into their lives, and taken Tala right from under Bryan's nose. It was obvious from the way Tala looked at him, the way his face seemed to soften and his eyes filled with adoration, that Kai was the object of Tala's affection now. Not that Bryan could blame him; Kai was nearly as beautiful as Tala was…  
  
A stabbing pain surfacing in Bryan's chest, and he flinched involuntarily. A deep hole seemed to open with him as he realized that he would never be as attractive as Kai was. He simply hadn't been born that way. Tala and Kai were on an entirely different level. Suddenly, he began to realized what Boris meant when he called them genetically perfect…  
  
The grip on Tala's shoulder's loosened, until Bryan finally let go in defeat. Tala blinked at him, surprised by the sudden change in the boy's attitude. His head was hanging low, lavender hair falling in his face and hiding his expression from view.   
  
"He doesn't deserve you."  
  
The words came at a low whisper, but Tala still heard and understood what Bryan had said. Taken off guard by the shaky quality of Bryan's voice, he found himself at a loss of what to say.  
  
Bryan's fists clenched at his sides. 'I will not let them be together. I won't! That bastard doesn't deserve Tala! I'll make sure he doesn't get him if it's the last thing I do!'  
  
He turned away, preparing to leave. "He's only going to get you hurt. I swear it." without another word or waiting to see Tala's reaction, he ran off down the hall and disappeared around a corner.   
  
Tala watched him leave, but made no move to follow or call him back. The last thing he wanted was to stand around and deal with more of his crap.  
  
Still fuming over what Bryan had said and done, he turned and went the other way. Training with the Falcon blader was out of the question. Who cared what Boris said, he would not go with him. He was feeling guilty for what had happened, even though none of it had been in his control. He needed to see Kai.   
  
With that thought in mind, he headed towards the direction of the south training room, where Boris had sent Kai. The scarlet-eyed blader would be alone there, and that was exactly what Tala needed. He needed time alone with Kai, just the two of them. He needed time to think, and Kai always seemed to help clear his head.  
  
Mindful keep his anger hidden and not alarm Kai, he reached the south training room, and pushed the door open slowly. Peering inside, he was greeted only by silence. Opening the door the rest of the way, he stepped inside, his eyes running over the training dishes.  
  
'Where's Kai?' he thought, wandering over to one of the dishes and looking around. The room was empty so far as he could see, but the lights were on, which lead Tala to believe that someone had been there not long ago.  
  
Glancing down at the dish, something caught his eye. Kneeling down, he retrieved a blue beyblader from where it had been laying abandoned.  
  
'Dranzer?' he stood, staring at the blade as though the firebird could give him an answer. 'What happened to Kai?'  
  
His crystal eyes drifted back towards the dish. A thick coat of soot covered the bottom, and the edges looked as though they had been scorched.   
  
"As if…" his lips formed the words without him realizing he was speaking out loud. "As if Dranzer was trying to escape the blade." He looked down at Kai's beyblade. "But she wouldn't try to leave him." His fingers tightened around Dranzer. "And he wouldn't leave her here like this unless…"  
  
A sick feeling started to rise up in his chest. Something wasn't right. Kai would never leave Dranzer behind unless something was really wrong. He would have taken the phoenix with him, unless he had been forced to leave against his own will or hadn't been in his right mind. The marks in the dish only added to his worry. It was as if Dranzer had trying to reach further away from the dish.  
  
His hands were shaking, so he stuffed them into his pockets, laying Dranzer's blade next to Wolborg. His mind was racing so fast that he had a hard time keeping his thoughts straight.   
  
  
  
Bryan's words, the bruises on Kai's face, the way Boris had sent Kai away alone, the marks on the dish….  
  
Tala's breath caught in his throat. "Kai…"  
  
Whew. Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm running low on time. Anyway, please review, and the next update will be on Wednesday. ^.^ Ja ne! 


	19. Ask

Sleepy…sooo sleepy…I started a new job today, so that's why I didn't update sooner. This'll be a short chapter, too. And I know I have reviews to answer, but I'll do that next chapter, ok? ^.^;  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 19  
  
Normal POV  
  
Tala rolled Dranzer's blade around his fingers nervously. He has a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he could exactly place what he thought was wrong. There were a ton of things that could have happened to his silver haired friend, some of them more serious than other. Kai could have been called out, or he might have been dragged out against his will. Based on what he saw, Tala couldn't be sure.  
  
Biting his lip and glancing nervously around the room one last time, Tala decided that the only way to find out what had happened was to go find Kai. But then, there were a million places he could be. And asking Boris or a guard if they had seen him was definitely out of the question. He was supposed to be training with Bryan, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. At least not until he could clear the water with the lavender blader. And the added tension between the two meant that he couldn't ask him about Kai either.  
  
Ian and Spencer might know something, but they were all the way at the other end of the abbey. Tala rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache, and the feeling of foreboding was only growing worse as time passed. If he wanted to help Kai, he would have to get moving soon, and instead, he was standing around considering the best course of action.  
  
'Fuck it.' he thought, finally coming to a decision. 'I'll check his room first.' With that choice made, he quickly left the room, leaving the lights and everything, as it had been when he got there.  
  
He headed down the empty hallways; mindful to keep the panicky feeling he had inside, and not let it show on his face. Boris was a great observer. He would without a doubt pick up on Tala's emotions and use them to his advantage.   
  
Luckily enough for him, the halls remained empty until he reached Kai's room. Everyone was in training by now, and Boris never saw any reason to let them wander around the abbey when they were supposed to be working. And although Tala couldn't deny that this worked out well for him right now, he also knew that it made him stick out like a sore thumb in the eyes of the cameras.   
  
'What's going on? Why wasn't Kai in there? Why did he leave Dranzer?' The knot of worry in Tala's stomach was growing worse. A million questions with a million answers, each worse than the last, were running through his head.  
  
He began to flash back to his childhood, and all the mornings he had awoken to learn that one of his fellow students was gone. They had simply disappeared, dead or worse, without an explanation or a trace of their existence left. It was as if they had never existed; no body was willing to question what had happened. At least not out loud.  
  
Behind closed doors and in hushed voices, the students would speculate about what happened, why it had happened, and who would be next. Tala remembered these hushed meetings well; spending harrowing hours in huddled groups, praying that none of their close friends would be next. Of course, Tala spent all his time praying that it wouldn't be Kai that went missing one morning.   
  
Tala was so lost in his own thoughts and memories that he barely noticed where he was, and it was only when he crashed into someone that he shook of his daze.  
  
  
  
A harsh, thin hiss of pain reached Tala's ears as he stumbled backwards, finally looking up. As blue eyes locked with scarlet, he breathed a sigh of relief.   
  
"Kai!" he gasped, as Kai straightened himself up, and fixed Tala with a slightly relieved look.  
  
Kai felt his heart jump when he saw the look on Tala's face. The boy looked almost panicked. And the fact that he hadn't been paying attention was unnerving.   
  
"Shouldn't you be training?" he asked, his voice a little strained from the pain in his ribs from when the two had collided.   
  
Reaching a hand into his pocket, Tala pulled out Dranzer's blade and tossed it to his companion. "Shouldn't you? I found this in the training room." Worry finally overcame his face. "What's going on?"  
  
A sick feeling rose up in Kai's throat. Tala must know that something was happening, but he couldn't say anything. No matter what he had promised the Russian teen, the truth wasn't going to come out. Tala would only find him weak, pathetic and disgusting.   
  
"Boris had something for me to take care of." He lied; tightening his scarf, with he had retrieved in order to hide the red marks on his neck.   
  
Tala examined his face closely, looking for any signal that might give him a clue as to what was going on with his friend. He wanted to believe Kai, he really did, but something just wasn't right…  
  
He reached over, brushing some invisible dirt off of Kai's shoulder. It was the only kind of innocent looking contact the boys thought they could get away with when they were under surveillance. "If you say so. I was just wondering is all…"  
  
Kai cringed inwardly. Now he really felt bad. Tala trusted him, and here he was, unable to tell the truth. But, how could he? He could barely face what had happened himself, let alone deal with the way the red haired Russian would see him.  
  
"You don't have to baby me…" he said, his voice trailing off as Tala's hand hesitated. The blue eyes were focused on his shoulder. "What?"  
  
Tala hesitated, pushing Kai's shirt off of his shoulder in order to examine the skin beneath better. Something had caught his eye. A slight discoloration on the pale skin. "Kai, is that a bruise?" he asked, unaware that his voice was shaking slightly.   
  
Kai pulled away quickly. He knew there was a mark there, but he had hoped the shirt would cover it. "I hit my shoulder."  
  
The lie didn't fool Tala for a second. Now he was sure something was wrong. He had seen Kai that morning, and the bruise hadn't been there, which meant he could only have obtained it in the past 45 minutes. And no matter what the silver haired blader said, there was no way in hell Tala was going to believe that Kai was clumsy enough to hurt himself like that.   
  
The crystal blue eyes became very serious very quickly. He glared at Kai who was doing his best to avoid eye contact without making it obvious.  
  
"Kai." Tala started, his voice beginning to break. For the first time in a long while, he was truly concerned for his friend's safety. After all, this was the boy he loved, the one person who was important to him. "I know that when I ask you what happened this time," Kai lowered his eyes. "You'll tell me the truth…"  
  
"THEN DO NOT ASK ME!"  
  
With his eyes still cast towards the ground and his fists clenched at his sides, Kai whirled around, disappearing into his room and slamming the door in Tala's shocked face before the boy even had a chance to react.   
  
Bleh. This chappie didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to, but oh well. I'm too tired. ^.^ Anyway, please leave me a review, and I'll update this weekend. 


	20. Confrontation

Wow. Thanks for all the positive feedback last chapter. ^.^ Here's the promised update.  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 20  
  
Normal POV  
  
Kai didn't know for how long he lay on his bed, ignoring the pain in his ribs and focusing on the fact that emotionally, he was miserable. Deep down, he really did feel bad for yelling at Tala like that, but it was the truth. If Tala had asked him what had happened, he would have told him the truth, and the truth wasn't something he wanted to share with his friend. No matter what claims the red haired teen made, Kai knew what he would really be thinking and feeling inside, and that was something he couldn't face.  
  
Scarlet eyes focused on the dark ceiling, his ears half listening for any sounds out in the hallway. One part of him wanted Tala to come in and insist to know what was going on, but another part of him didn't want that. When he had first left Tala in the hallway, the other boy had tried to follow, but when he discovered the door had been locked, he had left, either not wanting to make a scene by yelling at Kai or trying to break the door down, or simply not caring enough to.   
  
Kai sighed, he was getting tired of lying on his back and wallowing in his own misery, but there wasn't much he could do. His ribs prevented him from rolling over into a more comfortable position, and he couldn't summon the energy to get up and move around. And as for his depressed attitude, there wasn't much he could do about that.  
  
He fumbled a hand behind his head and grabbed one of his pillows. It seemed like talking to Tala would be the only thing that would cheer him up right now, but how could he do that? He had yelled at him when Tala was trying to help, and Kai wasn't sure how forgiving he would be over his little outburst. He pulled the pillow over his face and sighed into it.  
  
"I am an idiot." He mumbled, his voice muffled. "But it's the truth. I would have told him if he had asked. Maybe not everything, but enough. I would have told him, and he doesn't need to hear it."  
  
Ripping the pillow away from his face, he threw it against the wall in frustration. As the pillow slid into the corner, he sat up, causing a wave of pain to shoot through his chest, but he ignored it. What was a little more pain added onto what he was already feeling?  
  
He glanced over to the blue blade lying on the bed next to him. Tala had found it in the training room where he had left it in his daze after his encounter with Boris. Kai was glad that Tala had thought to bring it with him, he wouldn't have wanted to leave Dranzer unattended for too long anyway.  
  
Picking it up, he ran his finger over the image of a phoenix that graced the bit. At least he wasn't alone now. The firebird had been constant companion throughout the worst days of Kai's life, and now was no different.  
  
"What do you think? Should I tell him?" Kai asked. The bit glowed briefly, as if in response to his words. "If I do, there are two things that could happen. He could think I'm weak and start to avoid me, or he could be his normal easily angered and reckless self and go after Boris for revenge. Even if I didn't tell him everything, and I just told him that Boris beat me up, he'd still react violently. And that would only get him in trouble."  
  
The bit glowed again as Dranzer let her master know she was paying attention to his words. Kai felt slightly better.  
  
"You remember what happened last time right?" he paused biting his lip. "I don't know how I should feel about that either. Should I feel happy that Tala cares enough to try and stand up for me? Or should I be insulted?  
  
His blade began to grow warm very quickly, and Kai was forced to drop it to the bed to keep his hands from burning. Scarlet eyes glared at it.  
  
"Is that your way of telling me I should be insulted by it?" he sighed, flopping back onto the bed as gently as he could. "Then I guess I should be happy then, huh?"  
  
Kai's eyes focused on the roof above him once again. He was getting awfully sick of staring up at it after lying like that for what felt like hours before, so he closed his eyes. Images of the time he had spent with Tala flashed in his mind as he tried to cheer himself up. He was tired of feeling miserable.   
  
******  
  
Tala slumped against the outside wall of the abbey, sinking slowly to the frost covered grass beneath him. Kai had locked him out of his room, so he could only figure that the silver haired balder didn't want to see him right then. There was something seriously wrong with his friend, and Tala knew it. Kai had always had very good control of his emotions, so it was uncommon for him to have an outburst like that unprovoked. And it was even stranger that Kai would just walk away like that.  
  
"So much for trying to get through to him." He whispered. There wasn't anyone around, but he didn't feel like raising his voice any. He dug into his pocket and retrieved his beyblade. He kind of wished he hadn't given Dranzer back to Kai. Maybe the phoenix would have helped him figure out what was going on with his friend.  
  
"He's going to get himself hurt." Tala mumbled, half to himself and half to the wolf residing in the silver blade. Blue eyes rose to the horizon. The sun had already risen high and was now covered by thick gray clouds as it sunk low. He had been wandering around for a long time after his little fight with Kai, but he hadn't realized just how much time had passed.   
  
Sadness clouded his face. "And here I thought that he was starting to trust me. But I guess he still doesn't trust anyone, no matter how much I try to get through to him." His fingers tightened around his beyblade. "He doesn't want anyone to help him, no matter what's going wrong in his life."  
  
He glanced down at his beyblade again. He wasn't exactly expecting a response from the wolf that was resting in the bit, but he wanted one. He needed someone to give him some clue as to how to move on from here.   
  
"I don't want to see Kai get hurt, I really don't." his red hair fell into his face as he hung his head. "I really do love him, but I don't think he knows that." His voice was an even softer whisper now. "But then, how could he? I haven't told him yet. It isn't the right time."   
  
Wolborg's bit glowed briefly. Maybe the bitbeast couldn't understand the situation, but he could understand his master's feelings. Tala smiled faintly.   
  
He sat for several minutes more in silence, going over everything in his mind again. He tried to focus on the exact words Kai and he had shared.  
  
-'Kai, I know that when I asked you what happened this time, you'll tell me the truth.'  
  
'THEN DO NOT ASK ME!'-  
  
"I wonder, if he just doesn't want me to hear what happened." He paused. "He never denied that he would tell me the truth…"  
  
He stood up, putting Wolborg back into his pocket and heading back inside.  
  
********  
  
Kai stripped off his shirt, tossing it into a corner and turning on the faucet in his small bathroom, letting the tub fill with water. A bath might help keep his mind off of things, and he felt the need to wash himself anyway, so why not?  
  
As he waited for the tub to fill, he sat of the edge of the sink, his head lowered and deep in thought. Night seemed to have snuck up on him; he hadn't realized that he had been lying around for so many hours. No doubt that Boris would notice his absence during training and dinner, but he really didn't care. It was Boris's fault anyway.  
  
His eyes drifted to the empty bottle of hydrogen peroxide laying in the trash. He originally bought that to help clean any wounds he got while at the abbey, but now he had used it to wash out his mouth after his encounter with Boris. He could still feel the sting of the harsh liquid in his mouth.   
  
Sighing to himself, he stared out into the darkness of his room beyond the bathroom door. The room had gotten dark as soon as the sun set, but Kai hadn't bothered to turn on any lights. He preferred the dark anyway.  
  
His eyes drifted back to the tub, which was, in his opinion, taking forever to fill. He was hoping that by taking a bath, he would be able to keep his bandages at least somewhat dry.   
  
A soft, barely audible noise from the bedroom attracted his attention, and as he looked towards the doorway, his scarlet eyes locked with clear blue ones. His heart jumped into this throat in surprise. How had Tala managed to sneak up on his like that?  
  
"How did you get in here? I thought I locked the door." Kai asked, still shocked by the sudden arrival of his friend. Tala held up a small penknife for Kai to see, before putting it back into his pocket.  
  
"I picked the lock." Tala replied, his voice quiet and calm. "Why? Do you want me to leave?"  
  
Kai hesitated. He really didn't want Tala to go anywhere just yet. "No, not really."  
  
Tala stepped inside the room and shut the door behind him. Now that Kai had removed his shirt and was wearing only his pants, he could get a good view of the bandages wrapped around his abdomen. He gave a Kai a hard look.  
  
"I should be angry," Tala started, as Kai looked away, scowling. "Because you aren't be honest with me."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Ignoring his response, Tala continued. "But I'm not angry."  
  
"Oh? Why not?"  
  
"Because." There was a moment of hesitation. "You know why."  
  
Kai looked at him with narrowed eyes. Inside, he really was relieved that Tala wasn't upset with him, but there was something about the situation that just wasn't allowing him to relax. "Am I supposed to know? Because I don't. You'll have to fill me in." he said, more coldly than he had intended.   
  
Tala stepped forward quickly; slamming his hands down on the sink on either side of Kai and bringing his face close to the other boy. "Goddamnit, why are you being so standoffish?" he wasn't angry, but the helplessness he felt was making it seem that way. "Don't you understand that I care about you, and that's the only reason why I'm hounding you like this?!"  
  
Kai's eyes widened at his words, but he didn't say anything.  
  
"I care about you a lot Kai, and I don't want to see you get hurt! I know you might not be able to understand that, but it's true!"  
  
Scarlet eyes stared at him in amazement. He understood what Tala was telling him, and he believed him. "Tala…"  
  
Before he could say anything else, Tala cut him off. "Shut up and listen to me." His tone of voice wasn't so hostile as it sounded before. "Before, you didn't deny that you would tell me the truth if I asked. So that means you'll answer me honestly when I ask you, if that right?"  
  
Kai nodded.  
  
Clenching the sides of the sink, Tala stared into Kai's eyes, not letting him break eye contact. "Then tell me. What happened Kai?"  
  
Kai hesitated for only a second, before opening his mouth to speak.  
  
* Laughs evilly * Ahh yes. The despised cliffhanger. Sorry guys, but I ran out of time, I have to get ready for work. ^.^ Please review, and the next update will be on Wednesday. ^.^ 


	21. Bathtime

You know, as I sit here, and reread what I've already written for this story, and I go over the storyboard for the rest of it, I realize; it's going to be really long. ^.^ I'm not complaining though, I'm enjoying writing this! ^.^ anyways, here's the update. And it's a day early too. Why? Because I'm grateful to my reviewers. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 21  
  
Normal POV  
  
Kai hesitated. How should he start? It wasn't exactly an easy story to tell, and he wasn't too sure of how to approach it. This was going to be difficult. If he didn't put everything in the right context, Tala would suspect that something more was going on, and knowing about the Russian's volatile temper, that could be dangerous.  
  
He took a deep breath and glanced around the bathroom, trying to distract himself. "Tala," he said, glancing towards the tub. "Reach over and turn the water off for me?"  
  
Tala's crystal eyes narrowed dangerously. "Change the subject much?"  
  
"Flood the abbey much?"  
  
A low growl invaded Kai's ears as Tala quickly reached over and shut the water off. A heavy silence seemed to weigh the room down and suddenly; Kai wished he had left the water running. The quiet was almost too much to bear.  
  
Returning to his original position, Tala reached out a hand and grasped Kai's face gently, forcing the other boy to look at him. "Now, no more distractions. Tell me."  
  
Kai sighed. So there really wasn't any other way to avoid this. He did have a million ways to distract Tala in mind, but he had a feeling that none of them would work for very long, and they would only serve to make him more suspicious.   
  
"Alright." Kai started. It felt like there was something stuck in Kai's throat as he tried to talk; he was having trouble finding the right words. "I got beaten up."  
  
"Oh really?" Tala retorted sarcastically. "I never would have guessed. I mean, you have bruises and bandages around your chest all the time. Not to mention those marks on your neck. Nope, I never would have known."  
  
Kai winced at his words, feeling the sting of his accusations. "Would you just shut up and listen! You were the one that asked in the first place!"  
  
Tala fell silent, waiting for his friend to continue. He knew he shouldn't have interrupted, but his patience was growing thin. There were dark, frightening ideas of what could have possibly happened running through his head, and he wanted Kai to reassure him and dispel his fears.  
  
"I got beaten up during training, alright? And that's all there is to it." Kai told him, hoping that Tala wouldn't realize that he was withholding more information. There was no way, not matter what Tala said, that he would tell him about the rest of what happened.   
  
"Why?" Tala questioned, his voice quiet and somewhat more caring than before. "Why did they beat you?"  
  
Kai shrugged. "Do they ever really need a reason? I just wasn't obeying orders and it pissed them off."  
  
Tala smiled softly. That was the kind attitude he had come to expect from the scarlet eyed balder. Free spirited, independent, and definitely a little stubborn. "Who was that beat you?"  
  
"Jeeze you have a lot of questions."  
  
"I'm worried."  
  
Kai blinked. He hadn't been expecting Tala to say that to him, and it caught him off guard. But still, despite the situation, his words made Kai feel a little bit better. So Tala wasn't just angry or nosy, he was really worried about Kai's safety. He thought back to what he had said to Dranzer earlier and remembered how even his bitbeast seemed to think that he should be happy that the red haired Russian wanted to protect him.   
  
Reaching out, he grabbed Tala's wrist tightly; knowing that his next words would likely cause a violent reaction in his friend. Tala responded to the contact by taking a hold of Kai's hand and squeezing it subconsciously.   
  
"It was Boris."  
  
For several seconds, Tala seemed to stop breathing, as his face twisted in rage. Deep down, he knew that it had to have been Boris that had done this, but somehow he wished Kai would tell him that wasn't the case. "That bastard. I'm going to kill him!"  
  
As he started to move away, Kai tighten his grip on Tala's hand. If he let Tala leave now, as angry as he was, there would only be more problems. There was no doubt in Kai's mind that he would run off to find Boris and try to start a fight, which would only get him hurt.  
  
"Where are you going, Tala?"  
  
Tala looked at him, his eyes filled with a dangerous light. "Where do you think? To find Boris!"  
  
  
  
"Don't be stupid, Tala! What will that accomplish?" Kai yelled. He knew that showing anger would be the only way to reach out to his friend right then. "Don't go anywhere!"  
  
Shaking his head violently, Tala turned away, still trying to head towards the door. "No. I'm not letting him get away with it. Let go!"  
  
Kai held fast. "Yeah, right, like you can do anything. You go after him, and he'll just have you beaten! And you know that as well as I do!"  
  
Tala hesitated. Kai was right, but he didn't really want to admit that. He knew that there wasn't much he could do, but it was more a matter of honor for him. Someone had hurt the boy he loved, and they wouldn't get away with it.  
  
"Stay here, Tala." Kai asked, almost pleadingly.  
  
No response. Tala didn't move.   
  
Kai sighed inaudibly. "I want you to stay."  
  
Upon hearing these words, Tala turned slowly. He looked at Kai, who was staring at him intently, still holding fast to his hand. "You want me to stay here?"  
  
Kai nodded, and Tala sighed in defeat. Leaving would only make Kai more upset with him, and that wasn't what he wanted. He was here to help his friend, not frustrate and worry him.  
  
"Alright. I'll stay ok?" he grinned, trying to reassure Kai. "Stop freaking out will you? It's not good for your health."  
  
Kai rolled his eyes. Tala was obviously trying to lighten the tense mood.   
  
Tala glanced around the room, his eyes falling on the tub. "You were going to take a bath. What me to leave and let you do that?"  
  
"Are you trying to escape?"  
  
A smirk crossed Tala's face. "No, I just thought you might like some privacy or something. I know you're modest and all."  
  
Kai blushed. "I don't care, I was just going to take a bath to relax."  
  
"You need to wash your hair."  
  
"What?" Kai frowned. "Why?"  
  
Tala leaned forward and gently played with a few strands of silky, dark blue hair. "You have some blood in it. Did you hit your head?"  
  
Reaching a hand to the back of his head, Kai let his fingers brush over Tala's. "Yeah, but I didn't realize I was bleeding."  
  
"The bleeding's stopped, luckily enough." Tala told him, letting his hand rest on Kai's. The skin felt warm and soft beneath his fingers. As he stroked the smooth skin, and thought came to his mind. "How about you let me wash your hair?"  
  
Kai blushed at his words. "You want to wash my hair?"  
  
"Yeah, your hair isn't long enough for me to brush it, so can I wash it instead?" He blinked bright blue eyes at Kai. "Please?"  
  
Nodding his head in response, Kai tried to stand up from where he had been sitting on the sink. Tala, however, neglected to move from his position, which left the two standing very close to one another.   
  
Kai blushed. He could feel the heat radiating off of Tala's body and it was beginning to make his skin tingle. His body seemed to remember what had happened the last time they had stood so close, as he stared up into Tala's smirking face.  
  
"Oh, should I move?" Tala taunted, enjoying watching the Russian teen blush and the sensation of Kai's body so near to his.  
  
Shrugging to hide his slight shyness, Kai told him, "You can stay there if you want, I don't care…"  
  
Barely hearing his words, Tala carefully tilted Kai's head slightly backwards and placed a soft, fleeting kiss on his lips. Pulling away before the other boy could respond, he smiled. Leaning forward so his lips brushed against Kai's ear, he whispered.  
  
"I'll look away while you get in the tub."  
  
His skin tingling, Kai nodded, swallowing hard. As Tala turned away discreetly, trying to look out of the corner of his eye without Kai noticing. He smiled as Kai climbed into the tub and settled himself. When he was ready, Tala turned around and moved over to the tub.  
  
Grabbing a bottle of shampoo, he sat down on the lip of tub behind Kai and let his eyes roam over Kai's body. "You look comfortable."  
  
Kai sighed, and sunk lower in the tub. "Yeah. I guess so."  
  
Tala squeezed some shampoo into his hand and began to massage it through Kai's hair. "You seem stressed out, you ok?"  
  
"Yeah." Kai lied. In truth, he wasn't feeling so calm or relaxed, but if he told Tala that, his friend would only wonder why. Memories of what had happened with Boris were still running through his head, and he hoped that by spending more time with Tala, he would start to feel a little bit better.  
  
The two boys fell silent as Tala continued to rub the shampoo through Kai's hair. His hair was soft and silky, and Tala loved the feel of it running through his fingers. Carefully, he parted Kai's hair to try and find where the blood had been coming from. There was small cut, but it didn't seem to bad, so Tala wasn't overly worried. Head wounds tended to bleed a lot and look worse than they really were. But despite the fact that the wound didn't look serious, there could still be internal head injuries.   
  
'He might have a concussion and not even realize it. I'll have to keep an eye on him.' Tala thought. He rested his hands on Kai's head. And looked down thoughtfully. 'He'll never let me take care of him, so I'll have to be a little discreet.'  
  
"All done." Tala told Kai, shattering the silence of the room.   
  
Kai nodded and rook a deep breath before dunking his head under the water and shaking his head to wash away the soap. When he pulled his head up out of the water, he was shocked as a cold water hit his back.   
  
"Cold!" he yelled, looking back at Tala's grinning face. The boy had turned the shower on, but neglected to turn on warm water.   
  
"Sorry." Tala replied and turned the water off. Reaching down, he tousled Kai's hair and smiled. "You all ready to come out of there?"   
  
"Get me a towel?"   
  
Nodding, Tala retrieved a towel and held it out for Kai. The silver haired hair stepped out of the tub, and allowed his friend to wrap the towel and his arms around his waist.   
  
Squeezing his narrow waist, Tala smiled down at his friend. "You aren't mad at me, are you?"   
  
Although Kai was acting normally towards hi, he still wanted to make sure that his secret love did hold any hard feelings for his earlier interrogations.  
  
Surprised, Kai wasn't sure how to respond. "No, I'm not."   
  
Relieved, Tala smiled. "Come on, we have to change your bandages." He said, and led Kai away from the tub.  
  
Hm. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but in the next one, we get to see Tala take care of Kai. Yay! ^.^ Anyways, please review, and I'll update on the weekend. Okie dokie? 


	22. Watch over me

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the weekend update. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 22  
  
Normal POV  
  
Sighing to himself, Kai reluctantly left Tala's warm embrace, and walked towards the sink. His bandages, which were now soaking wet, needed to be changed. Kneeling down, he searched the small cabinet under the sink for the extra roll of bandages he thought he had put there. Organization had never been a strong point for Kai, and ever since he returned to the abbey, he had been more of a wreck than normal.  
  
After some searching, his eyes fell on the object of his seek. Grabbing them, he quickly stood up and turned around to look at Tala.  
  
"Stop crowding me, will you?" he said, as he moved to sit back on the edge of the sink.   
  
Tala stayed where he was, and reached out to grab the roll of bandages for Kai. He covered Kai's hand with his own and grinned, as the crimson-eyed blader blushed faintly. "I'll do it for you."  
  
Kai shook his head, both to turn down Tala's offer and to clear his head of thoughts that were racing through it due to Tala's brief contact. "I don't need your help." He protested, rather coldly, but Tala didn't back down.  
  
"Don't be a baby. Let me help you."  
  
"I can do it myself." Kai protested, wincing at Tala's baby comment. The last thing he wanted to do was seem weaker by accepting Tala's help; after all, the boy might be testing him. But then, the thought of Tala redoing his bandages was rather appealing…  
  
Kai shook his head furiously. He refused to let his mind wander down that train of thought again. Especially not with Tala so close by.   
  
Tala narrowed his eyes threateningly. Kai was a stubborn boy if he had ever seen one. Too stubborn in fact. The type of attitude Kai possessed was one that would likely get him into trouble, being as he would never ask for help even when he was in over his head. "Kai, I am going to redo your bandages, whether you like it or not, understand?" Tala stated in a calm, even voice.  
  
Sighing, Kai let Tala take the bandages away from, knowing that he would never win this fight. When Tala got that determined attitude about him, there really was no hope of being the victor.   
  
With a satisfied smirk, Tala regarded Kai. "That's better. Now, do you want to do it in here, or should we use the bed?"  
  
Kai flinched and blushed furiously. 'That sounded so sexual.' He thought. "I don't care, but can I at least get dressed first?" he asked, hiding the embarrassed stutter in his voice. Sitting around in nothing but a towel was getting kind of dangerous…  
  
Tala cheered internally. He had gotten exactly the reaction he had wanted from Kai. Embarrassing Kai was just something he couldn't help but do. Kai just looked so cute when he blushed like that…  
  
"It'll be easier to do if you don't get dressed first." Kai groaned and Tala smirk grew wider. "Besides, you look cute in just a towel." He turned around, casting Kai a sly look over his shoulder. "We'll do it in the bedroom, so we'll have more space.  
  
Sliding off of the sink, Kai followed him towards the bedroom, mumbling under his breath. Tala was teasing him; he just knew it. And of course, everything he was saying was getting to him. His eyes followed Tala as the boy sat down in the center of Kai's bed and motioned for Kai to follow.   
  
"Sit over here." The red haired blader instructed, and Kai obeyed, sitting down in front of Tala and making himself comfortable. Crimson eyes glazed over as Kai tried to stare off into space and ignore Tala as the boy worked to remove the old, wet bandages.  
  
As he unraveled them slowly, Tala's blue eyes searched Kai's back and shoulders for any other signs of Boris's abuse. There were several old, faded scars on Kai's smooth, pale back, but nothing that seemed recent. He sighed in relief. Deep down he was worried that Kai might have been whipped, but now his fears seemed unfounded.   
  
He finished removing the white gauze and dropped it next to them on the bed. Unable to resist temptation, he ran a finger up Kai's spine, smiling as the boy shivered in response. The boy really was ticklish.  
  
Kai shuddered pleasantly as he felt Tala's finger caress his back. He was horribly ticklish to things that, but all in all, he didn't exactly mind it. He closed his eyes, smiling to himself. No, he really didn't mind Tala doing that. A hand touched the side of his face and he opened his eyes to see Tala leaning over to look at him.  
  
"Turn your body around to face me, Kai."  
  
Blinking at him, Kai questioned, "Why?"  
  
Tala smiled at him in response. "Because I'd much rather look at your face." he replied softly.  
  
Figuring this was as good a response as any, Kai shifted and turned so he would be facing Tala. Sapphire eyes locked with ruby ones as Tala smiled at his companion. "See? That's better."  
  
Kai nodded in response as Tala picked up fresh bandages and began to wind them around Kai's abdomen. His eyes wandered over Kai's chest and stomach in admiration. Years of training had given him nice muscles, which the boy always successfully hid under his clothes.   
  
As Tala admired his boy, he noticed something strange. He frowned as he realized there wasn't a single bruise on Kai's chest or stomach, which was strange. Tala could tell that Kai had several broken ribs, but how he had gotten them if it wasn't from a beating. Blows that were powerful enough to break Kai's ribs would certainly have left bruises.   
  
He opened his mouth to question Kai about this, but when he saw the look on the boys face, he changed his mind. Kai was sitting with his eyes closed and such a peaceful expression on his face that Tala was reluctant to bother him with something like that.  
  
Kai smiled internally as he felt Tala's warm fingers brush against his skin as he worked to tie the bandages around him. He had never known that Tala could be gentle, but he kind of liked it. Of course he would never trade Tala's tough, cold attitude for anything in the world, but a little bit of this every so often was nice.  
  
"You look pretty happy, Kai."  
  
Tala's quiet words caused Kai to slowly open his eyes. "Am I not allowed to be happy?" he asked, smiling to let Tala know he was kidding.  
  
Returning the smile, Tala replied, "It's not that. I'm just glad that you're feeling better. It seemed like something was bothering you before."  
  
Kai's smile faltered somewhat at his words. It was true that something had and was still bothering him, but as much as he wanted to talk about it with someone, he couldn't. He had already promised Tala that he had told the entire truth before; he couldn't very well admit that he had been lying.  
  
"Guess I'm just tired."  
  
Nodding, Tala tied the final knot on Kai's bandages and placed his hands gently on Kai's waist. "I can understand that. Maybe you should get some sleep." He glanced at Kai's small window, then at his clock. "It's later than I thought. We really lost track of time."  
  
After a quick glance at the clock himself, Kai agreed. Although that wasn't what the problem really was, he was tired, and sleep sounded like a good idea.  
  
"Yeah, maybe I will go to bed." He admitted.  
  
Before he could move away, Tala reached out and gently grabbed Kai's face. He stared at Kai for a moment, watching him with alert sapphire eyes.  
  
Kai began to blush, thinking that Tala was going to kiss him again, but instead, the boy held a finger up in front of Kai's face. Ruby eyes blinked, not understanding.  
  
"Follow my finger with your eyes." Tala instructed, moving his finger back and forth, then up and down. Kai's eyes followed it closely, but the gaze still held confusion.  
  
"Did you pass out when Boris was hitting you?" Tala asked, and Kai blinked.  
  
He tried to remember. There was a point, after the incident that Kai had zoned out and possibly blacked out, but he didn't know if he had done that himself or whether it had been because of injury.   
  
"I don't think so." He answered.  
  
Tala nodded and lowered his finger. "You look ok, but I don't know if you have a concussion or anything." He bit his lip. "I'm no doctor, I can't tell."  
  
Kai shrugged. "I feel fine. Don't worry."  
  
"You may feel fine, but I don't know." He paused to consider. "I think I'll stay with you tonight to make sure."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Tala regarded him seriously. "If you have a concussion, you should be woken up every few hours to make sure you're ok."  
  
"I don't need you to baby me, Tala."  
  
"I'm not babying you." Tala sighed. "I just want to make sure you'll be ok."  
  
Kai hesitated. It would be a great comfort to have Tala stay with him tonight, he really could sue the comfort, but if Tala was going to be waking him up every few hours, that meant…  
  
"So, what?" Kai asked. "You won't be sleeping at all tonight?"  
  
Tala shrugged. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for you, Kai. I mean it. I really want to take care of you."  
  
"I don't know…" Kai was still unsure of how he wanted to approach the situation.  
  
Looking at his reluctant face, Tala continued. "Kai, when we were little and one of us would get sick, we would always take care of each other, remember?"  
  
Kai did remember. When they were young and sick, they had no to look to but each other. They would look over each other with fierce loyalty, making sure the other was ok. It was one of the only fond memories Kai had of his life at the abbey. "Yeah, I remember."  
  
"It's the same thing, only now it's different because I care about you that much more." Tala told him, rubbing his thumb over Kai's pale cheek.  
  
Leaning into his touch, Kai sighed contently. "Ok, yeah." He mumbled. "I want you to stay with me tonight."  
  
Sorry about the shortness of the chapter everyone, but it's been a busy weekend. The next chapter will hopefully make up for it though, since the next chapter will have Tala's thoughts on Kai as he watches him sleep and more sappy stuff like that. ^.^ So please review and the next update will be on…can you guess? Wednesday. ^.^ 


	23. As I Sleep

Onwards to the Wednesday update! But first…  
  
monday's dusk girl: Most of the Russian I used in the story I got from a book, so if it's wrong, sorry. ^.^ It's unintentional.  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 23  
  
Normal POV  
  
Mumbling under his breath, Kai tried to settle himself comfortably onto the bed, while Tala watched him with amusement. He knew that one of Kai's sleeping habits was to always sleep on his stomach, but considering his injuries, that didn't seem too smart.  
  
"Oh come on Kai, how bad could it be?" Tala asked, humor evident in his voice as Kai piled up blankets on either side of his body, forming a virtual wall around him.  
  
Kai shook his head in frustration and grabbed another pillow to shove behind his head. "It's uncomfortable."  
  
"Better get used to it. It might take a while for you to heal."  
  
Groaning under his breath, Kai lay back on the bed, completely covered and surrounded by blankets and pillows. He shifted for a few more minutes, before he seemed to find a comfortable position and lay still.   
  
"Ok." He whispered, so softly that Tala had to lean forward to hear him. "If I don't move and you don't shake the bed at all, I'll be good."  
  
"So jumping on the bed is out?" Tala asked, feigning great disappointment in this revelation. Kai glared at him.  
  
"I wouldn't let you jump on my bed even when I'm not injured!"  
  
Laughing to himself, Tala leaned comfortably against the headboard of the bed, moving as slowly as possible as not to disturb Kai's mountain of pillows and blankets sleeping arrangement. Glancing over the pillows, he looked at Kai' expression and held in a laugh. He had a serious look on his face, as if he were struggling to not roll over.  
  
Tala shook his head. "You are a strange creature." He said as Kai's ruby eyes focused on him. "I've never seen anyone as obsessed about their sleeping position as you."  
  
Kai shrugged and closed his eyes, preparing to try and sleep. "Yeah, well, I have a lot of pet peeves you aren't aware of."  
  
Tala leaned closer, resting his head and arms on one of Kai's pillows. This could be interesting. "Oh yeah? Like what?"  
  
"Why should I tell you?" Kai questioned. He knew that if he told Tala, the sapphire-eyed boy would just used them to his advantage.  
  
"I'll tell you one of mine."  
  
Kai hesitated. He really wasn't sure about telling him, but he did trust Tala after all, and curiosity was getting the better of him. "Alright. You go first."  
  
"Ok." Tala considered. "Alright, you know how when you're reading a book and you don't have a bookmark, or you fold down the corner of a page to mark your place?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I hate that. It drives me nuts."  
  
Kai was able to keep a straight face for about 5 seconds before he started laughing. "No shit? Wow, that's pretty bad."  
  
Tala couldn't help but laugh himself. It was pretty dumb, but what could he say? "Alright, now tell me yours."  
  
"Hmm…"Kai started, thinking about where to start. "Let's see. Ice that is in any shape but cube, honeycombs, the capital letter L…"  
  
Blinking to himself, Tala held up a hand to stop him. "Whoa. Hold on." He leaned forward and glared at Kai, who seemed pretty amused by his reaction. "Ice that's in any shape but cube?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Honeycombs?"  
  
"Actually, that's more of a phobia…"  
  
Tala raised an eyebrow. "The capital letter L?"  
  
Kai nodded.   
  
"Not lowercase L?"  
  
"Just capital."  
  
A few seconds of silence passed, before Tala shook his head in disdain. "Kai, I think you might have hit your head harder than I first thought."  
  
Kai laughed and burrowed down in his pillows. "There you have it. Can I go to sleep now?"  
  
"Sure." Tala replied, leaning down to kiss Kai's forehead without disturbing the delicate balance of Kai's blankets. Kai blushed. "Sleep well."  
  
Smiling to himself, Kai nodded and closed his eyes. He was exhausted, but felt pretty good, knowing that Tala was going to be with him all night. Letting sleep overcome him, he slowly drifted off.  
  
Tala watched as Kai's body relaxed and his breathing became slow and even. The silver haired boy looked so peaceful when he slept, as if nothing in the world mattered or could affect him. His expression was so calm, so innocent, with his silver hair falling across his face and moving slightly every time he breathed. Tala wasn't sure what Kai was dreaming, but if the contented way he slept was any indication, it was something nice.  
  
He couldn't help but smile as he watched Kai. There was something very calming about his presence; there always had been. Even when they had been children, Tala had always felt more secure when Kai was with him. The phoenix was like a security blanket to him, and although he was supposed to be there to keep Kai safe and secure, he had a feeling the ruby eyed blader knew that the comfort was going both ways.  
  
Thinking back to when Kai had first returned to the abbey, he remembered with some happiness how he had first reacted when he learned Kai was there.  
  
Boris didn't tell them right away that Kai had broken in and that he was in the middle of trying to convince the Russian to return. Tala only learned that fact when he had been sent out to prevent Kai's old team from getting too far into the abbey.  
  
As he stood there, supervising Ian's battle with Kai's teammate, he could hardly contain his excitement. Kai was back, maybe only a few rooms away from where Tala stood right then. The person that meant more to him than anyone else had finally come back; he could hardly believe his good luck. Fate was indeed smiling upon him at last.  
  
It seemed like forever, before he finally heard Boris's words in his ear.  
  
"He's ours. Get rid of his friends."  
  
Tala smiled. He had never been happier to hear Boris's voice. He had gotten rid of Kai's friends quickly after that, and had rushed inside, eager to see his old companion. But of course, he would have to wait; Kai was too busy getting settled again.  
  
Looking down at Kai's sleeping face, Tala sighed. "I'm glad you came back." He whispered. "You scared me for a while when you left again right before the final rounds, but I should have had faith I guess."  
  
Kai moved his head slightly, causing a few more strands of silver hair to fall across his face. Tala brushed them away gently. He glanced at Kai's clock and calculated how long Kai had been sleeping.  
  
'Almost 2 and a half hours. Time flies.'  
  
He shook Kai's shoulder gently, waking him up. As the ruby eyes fluttered open, Tala asked him, "Kai, do you know today's date?"  
  
Half asleep, Kai mumbled back at him. "Is it past midnight?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"August 17" he replied, closing his eyes again. "Am I right?"  
  
Tala smiled. How cute. "Yeah. You can go back to sleep."  
  
Kai seemed to be doing just that, before he opened his eyes again. "Tala?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What's the matter? Is something wrong? You seem kind of…distracted." Kai mumbled.  
  
Tala smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Nothing important." Tala replied, giving Kai a quick kiss between his eyes. "Just go back to sleep, beautiful."  
  
Smiling and blushing at his comment, Kai closed his eyes and once again succumbed to exhaustion.   
  
Sorry about the short, not so great chappie, but I'm tired and want to get more sleep before work. The only days they have me work are, you guessed it, Wednesdays and weekends. Go figure. Anyway, please review, and I'll update this weekend.  
  
And for those who are interested, I've added another chapter to Win Me Back, which is my other Tala/Kai fic. ^.^ 


	24. Morning

Good evening everyone. Short chapter today, because I'm tired. Sorry. ^.^ And BTW, august 17 doesn't have any significance to the story, I just needed a date so I picked my dads birthday. ^.^   
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 24  
  
Normal POV  
  
Kai rolled over in bed, blinking sleepily and yawning to himself. A glance at the bedside clock told him it was 3:34 am, half an hour until the time he needed to be awake. He sat up, careful not to jar his pained ribs, and looked over at the bed next to him. Tala was sitting against the headboard, his eyes drifting closed then snapping open as he tired to say awake. True to his word, he had woken Kai up every few hours to ask him a menial question to make sure he was still all right.  
  
Sensing Kai's movement, Tala looked over and smiled at him sleepily. "Morning Kai."  
  
Kai smiled back and returned the greeting. "Aren't you tired?" he asked. Tala definitely hadn't been getting enough sleep lately.   
  
"Kind of." Tala confessed. "But I'll be ok. I'll just drink some coffee or something before training…"  
  
Kai shrugged. He knew the chances of Tala getting coffee were slim. It wasn't a luxury they had at the abbey. "We still have half an hour." He mumbled. "Go to sleep."  
  
Settling himself down in the bed and grabbing one of Kai's pillows, Tala smiled to himself. "No, half an hour of sleep will just make me more tired. I'm staying up."  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
"You seem ok. I guess your head was fine after all." He smiled. "But better safe than sorry. I couldn't bear to see you in a coma or something."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Kai replied. "I didn't hit my head that hard. I'm not made of glass you know."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Tala fell silent for a few seconds, and Kai was hesitant to say anything, just in case he had changed his mind and was going to sleep after all. It was obvious Tala needed the rest. The past few days hadn't been good ones in terms of getting adequate sleep. For one reason or another, Tala always seemed to be up half the night. Sometimes he would wake up from nightmares, while other times he would just stay awake so he could watch Kai sleep.  
  
Tala smiled to himself. He had managed to keep himself entertained all night just by watching the calm rhythms of Kai's dreams. The silver haired boy always seemed to have nice dreams. Rarely did he ever awake in fear or toss and turn, mumbling in pain under his breath. Instead his nights were accented by unconscious smiles or content sighs.  
  
Deciding that sleep would not come no matter how tired he was, Tala sat up and looked over at Kai. The other boy was sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest and his head lying on his knees, watching Tala silently.  
  
"What's up Kai?" Tala asked when he realized Kai had been observing him for a while. Kai just shrugged and smiled softly.  
  
"Nothing." he stretched and stood, heading towards the bathroom. Grabbing some clothes and towels, he looked over his shoulder at Tala. "I'm going to shower. When I get out, can you help me redo my bandages?" He grinned. "Since you like playing nurse so much."  
  
Tala laughed despite himself. "I just want to take care of you, that's all." He laid his head on a pillow.   
  
"Right. I'm going shower now and pretend that I believe you."  
  
"Can I join you?"  
  
Kai laughed and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door and just poked his head out. "In the shower, or in pretending to believe what you say?"  
  
He gave Tala a sly wink and disappeared.  
  
Still smiling, Tala flopped back on the bed with an uncharacteristic lack of grace. He really hadn't meant to say that out loud. It was something he had been thinking, but wasn't going to articulate out loud. But then, he really didn't mind. He liked to flirt with Kai, and he liked it even more when Kai flirted back.  
  
'I'll tell him how I feel sooner or later. But it has to be the right time. I have to approach him the right way.'  
  
He got slowly out of bed as the shower water shut off. His legs felt like lead, due mostly to exhaustion, but he wasn't complaining. It was well worth the loss of sleep to make sure that Kai was ok.  
  
Kai came out of the bathroom, followed by a large cloud of steam, and made his way towards the bed.   
  
"Jezze." Tala taunted. "Did you leave me any hot water?"  
  
Kai winked again and sat down on the bed, handing Tala fresh bandages. "No. But that your fault. You should have joined me." He teased.  
  
Tala blushed happily at the thought and set about redoing the bandages. "Damn. I missed my opportunity."  
  
He wound the white gauze around Kai's pale chest, thinking about what he had to do that day. Boris had mentioned something about going back in the city the other day, but he didn't know if he still had to. And even if he did, it was unlikely that he would be able to find Dimitri. If she wasn't in prison, she was likely plotting Tala's murder.  
  
Tala shook his head. "I need better business contacts."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Tala blinked, not realizing he had spoken out loud. "Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud." He tied Kai's bandages and smiled. "I might have to go into the city today, you want come with me?"  
  
Kai shrugged. Any excuse to get out of the abbey was a good excuse. He wasn't complaining. "Sure. What do you have to do?"  
  
"Whatever Boris wants. But at least we'll get time together."  
  
"I haven't trained for a while." Kai confessed. "Really trained."  
  
Tala smiled. "I'll forgive you."  
  
"Yeah, just because you haven't been training either."  
  
"Touché." He stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower. Albeit a cold one thanks to you, you selfish, hot water stealing bastard."  
  
Kai simply shrugged and went to get dressed. "Well then you should have showered in your own room or with me. Your choice."  
  
This is what we call a meaningless filler chapter. ^.^; Sorry guys, next chapter will be longer and more angsty. Yes, because in the next chapter…^.^ Can't say. You'll have to read and find out. *cough*blackmail?*cough* So please leave a review, and I'll update next Wednesday. Okie dokie?  
  
PS- Beyblade V Force is so great! Kai looks so cute, and there is definite potential between him and that Wyatt kid. ^.^ 


	25. Truth

* Singing to herself * Wednesday update. Wednesday update….  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 25  
  
Normal POV  
  
"You lucked out. There was still some hot water."  
  
Kai shrugged and tossed the towel Tala had thrown at him aside. "No, I'd say you were the lucky one." He glanced up. "Are you almost ready? We have to be down in 10 minutes."  
  
Grabbing a brush, Tala began to comb out his scarlet hair. Unlike Kai, there was no way for him to make his hair stay down when it was dry. Try as he might, it would always stand up in his usual style. "Calm down." He said, brushing furiously at a particularly stubborn knot. "It won't take us 10 minutes to get down there."  
  
Kai shrugged again. "True, we just won't have time to eat. I don't really care, but I can't speak for you…"  
  
As if on cue, Tala's stomach let out a soft growl. He blushed. "No, I'm not that hungry." He lied, knowing that admitting he was hungry would only prove Kai right.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Kai looked at him skeptically but didn't argue. Who was he to say whether or not Tala was hungry?   
  
"Anyway, I'm ready to go." Tala said. He hesitated. "But lets stop at the kitchen anyway. I want to see if Ian's there."  
  
Kai nodded and started out the door, glancing around in the hallway to make sure no one was lurking around. The last thing they needed was people raising suspicions about why Tala and Kai had spent the night together. Rumors would start to fly, and Boris would not be happy. Not that he was ever happy anyway…  
  
The hallway was empty, save for the constantly vigilant eye of the camera, but if they planned their exits carefully, they could get by that little obstacle. Throughout their entire lives they had spent time and energy learning how to avoid being watched. It wasn't always possible to remain unobserved, but they could get away with it at least some of the time.   
  
He glanced at the camera, counting the seconds. Tala had come up to stand behind him, peering over Kai's shoulder. The camera moved away, and Kai stepped outside, heading down the hallway at a casual, bored pace. Tala remained in the room, waiting until the camera came and went again. Closing the door behind himself, he headed after Kai, keeping his pace quick so he could catch up to his silver haired friend.  
  
Tala didn't look at Kai as they walked, but spoke to him softly out of the side of his mouth. "Be careful." He murmured. "Tell me if anything happens."  
  
Kai chanced a look of his corner of his eye. He knew that Tala was still a little jilted that he had withheld the truth about what happened, and he didn't even know the half of it. And with any luck, he never would.  
  
"I understand." Kai replied softly.  
  
Tala acknowledged his answer with a barely noticeable nod, as they reached the kitchen. Stepping inside, they were surprised to find it completely empty. No one form the kitchen staff was there, and to Tala's disappointment, neither was Ian.  
  
"Strange." Kai mumbled, moving to the table and picking up a sheet of typed paper he found lying there. He scanned it quickly and winced inwardly. "Shit."  
  
"What's that? Tala asked, moving over and standing next to him. He was standing close, so close that it made Kai blush and he forced himself to focus on the note instead of the boy next to him. He handed the paper to Tala, who took it.  
  
"It's out assignments. I guess we go straight there instead of to the main training room." Kai told him.  
  
Tala glanced over the note.  
  
Assignments:  
  
Bryan, Ian, Spencer - North Training room  
  
Kai - South training room  
  
Tala - Report to Boris's office  
  
'He's putting me by myself again.' Kai thought worriedly, thinking of what had happened just a day before.  
  
"He wants me in his office." Tala said. "I wonder what he wants?" he asked, not really expecting a response form Kai.  
  
Suddenly, Kai felt bad for feeling worried about having to train alone. Going to Boris's office was a thousand times worse. It was a soundproof room, and the only way to get in when it was locked was if Boris himself wanted you in.  
  
Kai threw Tala a reassuring look, leaning over to whisper in the ear of the worried boy. "Don't worry. It'll be ok."  
  
Shivering as Kai's breath tickled his ear, Tala nodded. He was nervous about seeing Boris alone, but he didn't want Kai to know that. He needed to look strong.   
  
"And don't you dare try and challenge him."  
  
There it was. Tala knew that Kai would bring that up sooner or later in the conversation. It was only a matter of time.  
  
"You know me too well." Tala told him, and knew Kai was smiling.  
  
"I do. Now promise me."  
  
Tala sighed. "Alright, I promise I'll be a good boy. Alright, mommy?"  
  
Kai laughed and patted him on the head mockingly. "Yes, that'll do." his joking tone of voice quickly disappeared however. "I'm serious though, it'll be ok, but still, be careful ok?"  
  
Nodding in response, Tala stepped away and looked at Kai. The entire conversation had been quick, but it still might look suspicious. "Get going." He said, adopting a cold tone. "You have training to do. I'll be around to check on you, so don't slack off, got it?"  
  
Hiding a smile, Kai cast him an equally cold look, knowing that Tala had just promised to come see him when he was done with Boris. "Hn."  
  
The two left the room, heading off in different directions down the hallway. Kai headed to the south training room with only slight trepidation, while Tala headed towards Boris's office, trying to mentally prepare himself for what was to come.  
  
'If this was about Kai and me, he wouldn't have waited until morning. If he had found out how I feel for Kai, he would have just stormed into the room. So that must not be it.' he thought, looking down at the ground as he walked. 'He did mention something about wanting me to go into the city today, so maybe that's what he wants.'  
  
Somewhat reassured, he stopped outside the dark wood door that lead to Boris's private office. A camera in the corner turned to focus on him, as he raised a fist to knock on the door. He knocked twice and waited until he heard a buzzer from inside and the door swung open.   
  
He stepped inside, his eyes quickly sweeping the inner office. The walls were lined with bookcases, all filled with various reading material and research findings. A large map of Moscow hung on one wall, with various locations marked off. Tala knew those areas to be drop points, places where information and materials could be left without any security concerns. The red mark that was placed near the bridge, Tala knew, was the drop point where he was supposed to meet with Dimitri when he needed her, not that she was reliable. But to his surprise, he saw another red dot, marking another location.  
  
Tala frowned. That was strange; he only had one drop point and one contact, that he knew of. Something must have happened. He looked towards the desk and at Boris, who was sitting with a satisfied smirk on his face. He felt a rush of anger towards the man, remembering what he had done to Kai.  
  
"What do you want?" Tala asked, moving to stand behind one of the large chairs in front of the desk. The map confirmed his suspicion that he would go into the city, and he slipped back into his emotionless attitude.  
  
Boris grinned widely and motioned for him to sit. Tala remained standing.  
  
"Now what did I do to deserve that tone of voice, Tala?" Boris asked mockingly. "Haven't I been treating you well?"  
  
"Alright, what do you want, SIR?"  
  
Boris stood and wandered away form his desk. Tala clenched his fists, remembering his promise to Kai.   
  
"I have a little job for you, but we'll get to that later." Boris said, walking over towards Tala. "There are more important thing right now."  
  
Tala narrowed his sapphire eyes. His insides were squirming, something wasn't right. "Like what?" he spat. The loathing he felt for the man was growing by the second.  
  
Boris's eyes flashed hungrily. Slowly, he reached out a hand to touch the side of Tala's face. The red head stiffed and pulled away. Clucking his tongue, Boris shook his head.   
  
"I thought you might react that way." Boris told him. His eyes roamed over the slim body of the Russian boy. His predator's grin grew. Seizing the narrow shoulder, he forced Tala to face him, looking with amusement into the dangerous crystal eyes.  
  
Tala glared at him. The squirming in his stomach became more profound. "What do you want?" he asked, almost fearing the response.  
  
The pale, dangerous eyes glinted when Boris heard the words. Moving quickly, he grabbed both sides of Tala's pale face and pulled it close. "This." he growled, pressing his lips forcibly against the boy's.  
  
Stunned and disgusted, Tala jumped back, pulling away. Wide eyes glared at Boris with a mixture of anger, fear, and hate. So this was it, this was what Boris was playing at. "You bastard! Don't touch me!" Backing away, his eyes searched around the room, trying to find a way to move without letting himself be cornered.   
  
Boris shook his head in mock disappointment. "So then I'm correct to assume that you won't behave nicely for me?"  
  
"Fuck you!"  
  
"I thought you'd say as much, I've decided to give you a choice."  
  
Tala backed away as Boris stepped forward, reaching out to cup his cheek. The entire office seemed to close in around them, and Tala soon found his back against the wall. Boris stroked his cheek fondly as the blue eyes glared at him. "I don't care about any choice! Don't touch me!"  
  
"You'll care." Boris told him, his voice a deadly whisper. "Because if you won't submit to me, I'll have to go to him."  
  
A cold chill passed over Tala's entire body, and he froze. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words were hard to find. Finally, he managed to croak out, "Who?"  
  
Boris smirked and let his hand drift to the back of Tala's neck. "Who? Why, your dear little friend Kai, of course."  
  
When Tala heard these words, all fear for himself disappeared. He was more worried about Kai now. His hands balled into fists at his sides, and he growled low in his throat. "Don't you dare touch him."  
  
"But I'll have to, if you won't behave." Boris smirked, knowing his next words would probably send Tala over the edge. He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Kai can put up quite a struggle, but he can do thing with his tongue that would blow your mind."  
  
Tala felt as if a thousand pounds of weight had suddenly crashed down on him as his mind drew up a realization. He slid to the floor without even being aware of it.  
  
'Then…that's what really happened…'  
  
Boris is so vulgar, ne? But now Kai's little secret is out, how will Tala react? Hmm…I wonder…  
  
Anyway, please update, and I'll update on Monday. Yes, I know the update should be on the weekend, but I'll be away and doubt I'll get a chance to update before then. But I'll try, so please review. 


	26. Denial

* Is being kept alive by the vanilla coke and cookies dudems gave her two chapters ago. * Oi, vacation sticks. But I survived, so here's the update…a day late… ^.^;  
  
-Split Persona: Sorry, JC, but I'm just as sadistic as Katherine. ^.^ you'll see why soon enough…  
  
-Matrix Kai: Ah, you noticed eh? * cough * well, there is a very good explanation for that. You see, I wrote that and forgot about it when I was working out how to develop Kai and Tala's relationship and so…well… I guess you can just say that it's a plot hole. ^.^;  
  
-Ancient Angel: I wish you luck getting your computer fixed. ^.^ my cousin has the same virus and she's going nuts…  
  
-Dudems: Thanks for the cookies and coke. As you already now, its all that's keeping me alive right now…  
  
I'll respond to more reviewers next chapter okie dokie? Many of you are hitting on some of what is going to happen in coming chapters, but I refuse to give spoilers, so neh. ^.^ Thanks for all the reviews!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 26  
  
Normal POV  
  
'So…that's what really happened…'  
  
Tala blinked slowly, not quite ready to believe Boris's words. The man had to be lying. He was just saying that to play with Tala's mind. He had never done that to Kai…  
  
'He didn't. Don't believe him, he's lying. That never happened.'  
  
Sapphire eyes rose to meet with the laughing eyes of the older man. Boris was finding this amusing. He knew that his words had hit Tala hard, and knowing the boy as well as he did, Boris knew that he was busy trying to rationalize it away.  
  
"You look so surprised. Didn't Kai tell you?" Boris smirked as Tala's eyes narrowed and seemed to overflow with hate and disgust. "I was under the impression that he told you everything."  
  
With a growl, Tala picked himself up off the ground and stood to face him. His fists were clenched at his sides, his knuckles turning white. The grudge he held towards Boris was growing by the second. If beating Kai wasn't the only thing that had happened…  
  
"You bastard." Tala growled, his voice a low, deadly whisper. Boris smirk only grew wider when he saw the Russian boy's reaction.  
  
Turning away, Boris waved a hand dismissively. "Now, Tala, there's no reason to take out your anger at Kai's dishonesty-"  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
Boris paused when he heard the soft words. Turing slowly, he fixed Tala with an amused expression. "You don't?"  
  
"No." Tala raised his eyes, trying to draw himself up to his full height. "I think you're lying. You're using Kai as a way to get me to submit to you quietly. It never happened." He said, trying to convince himself.   
  
As much he didn't want to believe that it had happened, there was a sinking feeling in Tala's stomach that Boris was telling the truth. If he could just convince himself that nothing had happened to Kai, everything would be all right.  
  
Tala lowered his head, trying to hide his expression from the abbey director. He was well aware that all of his emotions - the anger, the hate, the sadness, the fear for Kai's safety - were showing quite plainly on his face. Boris's words had caused him to drop his mask of indifference, and now he was too emotional to regain it. The more he tried to rationalize everything as a lie, the harder it became to believe himself.   
  
Boris shrugged looking unaffected by Tala's denial. "I gave you your chance, Tala. Don't blame it on anyone but yourself. I'm only going to ask you one more time."  
  
"I said no."  
  
"I didn't ask you again yet, Tala." Boris told him coldly. He picked up a folder from his desk and threw it at Tala. "You have a meeting to attend, the information you need is in there. Get going." He sat down, ignoring Tala, who remained standing where he was.  
  
Bending to pick up the folder, Tala didn't even bother to look at it before addressing the man again. "I assume I'm going into the city again?"  
  
Boris didn't look up. "Everything you need to know is in that folder, I already told you that."  
  
"I want Kai to come with me."  
  
"No."  
  
"But-"  
  
  
  
Boris's head snapped up so violently that Tala thought he would have broken his own neck. He fixed his angry glare on the redhead. "Do not question my orders, Tala! Now get out!" he roared, and Tala, despite his anger, felt it best to obey.  
  
"Yes, sir." He mumbled, leaving the room without a backwards glance. When he was outside the room and out of Boris's hearing range, he stopped.  
  
"Goddamnit!" he slammed his fist into the wall, ignoring the pain that shot up his arm as it connected with the stone. "What the fuck am I going to do?!"  
  
Try as he might, he just couldn't shake the feeling that Boris was telling the truth. He could lie to himself and not believe it, but what if it was true? Was he willing to put Kai in that danger?  
  
"If he is lying and I believe him, then I'll just be falling into his trap. But he's telling the truth and I ignore it, he's going to hurt Kai! So what the hell do I do?!"  
  
His fist slid down the wall and he let his forehead hit the stone. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed. There was nothing he wanted more than to go talk to Kai, to find out if Boris was telling the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was afraid. Afraid that Kai would confirm his worst fear.  
  
Drawing in a shaky breath, he tossed the folder into a corner. Fuck whatever Boris wanted him to do. If Boris really wanted something from the person he had to meet, he could go do it himself. Right now the only thing on Tala's mind was his dilemma and how to solve it. Normally, he would ask Kai if he had a problem, but not this time. Not when the problem involved Kai's safety. He knew exactly what the silver haired blader would tell him. He would tell Tala to stay away from Boris, because he could deal with it himself. There was no way that Kai would let Tala walk into a dangerous situation just to keep himself safe.  
  
Straightening up, Tala moved away from the wall, his eyes downcast. It was too much. He needed to talk to someone.   
  
"I've got to get out of here."   
  
His mind made up; he headed towards the nearest exit, and wandered out into Moscow. A thousand thoughts were running through his mind, so that he hardly noticed the cold or paid any attention to where he was going.  
  
'Boris said he would ask me one more time, so Kai should be safe until then.' He cursed softly under his breath. 'I should have gotten Kai out of there before. I should have brought him with me.'  
  
Reaching a small run down building, he stepped up to the door. After knocking on it roughly, he stepped back, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The door swung up, and Tala glanced up at Dimitri's angry face.  
  
"Where's your brother?" he asked softly.  
  
"Oh, so it's you, you bastard!"  
  
Tala sighed; he did not want to deal with this right now. "Where's your brother?" he repeated.  
  
Dimitri ignored him. "Do you have any idea what I had to go through because of you?! I almost got arrested! Not to mention,"  
  
"DIMITRI! WHERE THE HELL IS YAREMKA!?"  
  
There was a few seconds of silence, as Dimitri recovered from the shook caused by his outburst. She narrowed her eyes and regarded him coldly. "He's in the park." She told him, before slamming the door in his face.  
  
Ug, I hate this chapter, sorry guys. The next chapter will have more action, because that's when Tala will actually…no spoiler.  
  
Despite the shortness and crappiness, please review, and I'll update on Wednesday. 


	27. Seeking

All right! Time for the Wednesday update! Reviews will be answered at the end of the chapter this time.  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 27  
  
Normal POV  
  
Still lost in what could only be described as a fog of frustration and anxiety, Tala left Dimitri's house and headed towards the nearest park, in, if possible, a worse mood than before. It was true that he did deserve to be ripped to pieces by the girl, but now was not the time. He could deal with her violent tendencies later, when he wasn't in a rush.  
  
Being as it was a warm day, (by Moscow standards) with the sun shining weakly through a thin layer of clouds and the snow covering the ground now mostly water, the park was busy. Moscow wasn't exactly a center of great entertainment, and most residents couldn't afford what it did have, so the parks granted a pleasant retreat from the dreary repetition of everyday life.   
  
Sapphire eyes scanned the grounds, sifting through crowds of children running or playing with what little snow was left. He was trying to pick out a certain person in the masses; an older teen who was, unfortunately enough for Tala, probably trying to make himself look as invisible as possible. That was the nature of anyone who was up to less than moral activites; Dimitri was that way, but she had no doubt inherited it from her older sibling.  
  
As time passed and Tala's search turned up nothing, his anxiety began to grow. This was not what he needed right now. All he wanted was to talk to the guy; that didn't seem to be asking a lot. But then, luck was never on is side anymore, it seemed. He began to walk faster, his hands stuffed in his pockets as his eyes darted through the crowds. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just break into a run or start yelling it would make him look much too suspicious, and trouble was something he was trying to avoid like the plague.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like forever in Tala's impatient mind, his eyes fell on the figure he had been searching for. The figure was sitting alone on a park bench, his heavily lidded eyes half closed and the expression on his face one that suggested half delirium. Tala walked over, quickly taking the empty seat next to him and waiting to be noticed. It took quite a few seconds for the boy to shake out of his reverie and look at the Russian blader.  
  
"Hey…Tala…" he said, his voice a slow monotone. "Haven't seen you…. for a while…"  
  
Tala leaned against the back of the bench, tilting back his head to look at the light gray sky. "I've been busy Yaremka. I didn't have much time to come track you down."  
  
Yaremka nodded slowly and took a somewhat squashed cigarette from his coat pocket. He placed it in his mouth and reached back into his coat, pulling out a lighter and a second cigarette, which he offered to Tala. Tala declined, and he put it away. "I hear…" he took a long draw on is cigarette, blowing the smoke away from Tala's face. "You got…the brat in trouble…the other day."  
  
"Don't give me any crap over that, all right?" Tala replied. "Dimitri already tried to rip my head off when I went over your house."  
  
"She…doesn't mean it."  
  
Tala glanced over at him. One of the thing he liked about Yaremka was his incredibly laid back attitude, although he wasn't sure if that was one of personality traits or the result of one too many years of hard living. Yaremka never seemed to be fully awake, his eyes were always half closed, and his movements were slow and sluggish. Tala looked away.  
  
"I need to talk to you, Yaremka." He told him, and Yaremka nodded, getting to his feet.   
  
After taking one last drag on his cigarette, Yaremka tossed it away. "Then…let's walk… somewhere." He answered, through wisps of smoke. He walked away, heading towards the exit of the park, with Tala close by. "Now…what's…going on?"  
  
Tala hesitated, making a quick check of his surroundings to make sure there was no one nearby that might overhear. When he was satisfied that they weren't being eavesdropped on, he replied. "I have a problem with Boris." He said quietly, but loud enough for Yaremka to hear.  
  
"That…" Yaremka looked at him from the corner of his eye. "old fart…again? Doesn't he own the company that owns the abbey?"  
  
Tala blinked, surprised to hear so many words from him so quickly. "No, that's Voltaire. Boris is the man who runs the abbey."  
  
"…Purple hair?"  
  
"That's him."  
  
Yaremka fell silent, apparently thinking. "I remember. So…what's the… deal?"  
  
With another quick look at his surroundings, Tala proceeded to tell him everything that had happened over the past few days in a quick, hushed voice. Yaremka listened quietly, and Tala couldn't be sure if he fully understood everything. When he finished, Yaremka lit another cigarette and remained silent for several seconds.  
  
"Kai…" he began. "is he…a good friend…of yours?"  
  
Tala nodded and Yaremka continued.  
  
"You…like him…a lot?"  
  
"Yes." Tala gave him a very direct look. "I like him VERY much."  
  
Even Yaremka was able to pick up on what he meant. After all, he wasn't that dense, and he knew Tala very well. He flicked some ashes away. "So…do you…love..him?"  
  
A quick nod was all Yaremka needed. He clapped Tala on the shoulder, causing the smaller boy to stumble a few steps, and grinned broadly. "So…have you…you know…"  
  
A warm blush crept up onto Tala's cheeks. "Can we get back to my problem?"  
  
"So…are you over…that other…guy?"  
  
Tala blinked. He wasn't sure what other guy Yaremka meant. His mind ran back through past conversations he had shared with the boy. "What other guy?" he finally asked,  
  
Yaremka looked at him, tossing away his cigarette. "The other one… you were with. Brandon…Bremen…"  
  
Tala frowned; trying to make sense of is words. "You mean, Bryan?"  
  
"That's…" Yaremka nodded. "him."  
  
"What?" Tala shook his head furiously. "I was never into him! It was the other way around!"  
  
Yaremka looked at him, obviously confused. "Really? I thought…"  
  
"No!"  
  
  
  
He blinked large, tired eyes. "Your…life…is too complicated…Tala."  
  
"Can we PLEASE get back to the issue at hand?" Tala said quickly, before Yaremka could say anything else. This was getting way too off topic. "What the hell do I do? How am I supposed to know if he really did that to Kai or not?"  
  
"Why don't…" Yaremka inhaled deeply, and for a second, Tala thought he might be on the verge of saying something profound. No such luck. "you…ask him."  
  
Tala resisted the urge to scream in frustration. "If things were that simple I wouldn't be here asking you, Yaremka!"  
  
Yaremka looked at him, his heavily lidded eyes opening a little wider. "Does…it really matter?"  
  
Sapphire eyes narrowed as Tala wondered if he had made the best choice in coming to ask Yaremka for advice. Right now it looked like he would have had better luck with Dimitri. "Of course it does! What the hell are thinking?!"  
  
"But… you're grouping… two different problems into one."  
  
The words were enough to make Tala stop walking. Yaremka turned around and looked back at his friends frowning, confused face.   
  
"Yaremka…what do you mean?"  
  
Yaremka shrugged and continued walking. Tala quickly ran to catch up. "I mean… whether or not he did…or didn't isn't the issue. Even if…he lied… he says he'll do it now…if you turn him down. Doesn't… matter what already happened… matters what will happen."  
  
A few seconds of silence passed as Tala took in his words. Of course, why hadn't he thought of that before? He was putting too different matters into one. What happened in the past was no guarantee of what would happen in the future. Even if Boris was lying about what he had done to Kai before, that didn't mean he wouldn't follow through with his threat.  
  
"Shit…" Tala whispered. "I didn't think of that. You're right."  
  
Yaremka nodded. "Yeah." He considered. "If you want…I can call Anna…or Leo…and…"  
  
Tala grabbed onto his arm roughly. "Are you crazy or something? Do you want me to go to prison?!"  
  
"Leo and Anna… they're good, can make it look like…suicide…"  
  
"No!" Tala hissed, careful to keep his voice down. "Absolutely not! If the police raid the abbey we're all screwed!" he insisted, although, somewhere, deep down inside, it sounded like a good idea.   
  
"No…you'll be screwed. Dimitri and I…we don't know you…"  
  
Tala growled at him. "Thanks for your support." He said, his voice venomous and sarcastic. "I'm glad I can rely on you. Now what the hell do I do?"  
  
Yaremka shrugged. "Dunno."  
  
Tala looked down at the ground as they walked, lost in thought. He had a slightly better handle on the situation now, but that wasn't helping much. If he accepted Boris's offer, he would be in trouble, but if he turned Boris down, Kai would get hurt.   
  
"Fuck…what can I do?" Tala said, talking more to himself than to Yaremka. "I don't want to see Kai get hurt, but…"  
  
He left the path the two had been walking on, heading over to the nearest tree and sitting at it's base. Yaremka wandered over slowly, stopping to stand in front of the distraught redhead. "You…ok?"  
  
"No."  
  
Yaremka fell silent as Tala pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his head in his arms. He was starting to get worried. Unlike Tala's relationship with Dimitri, which was purely business and really quite volatile, Yaremka actually cared for the boy. He had never known the blader to act like this, and it was quite unnerving.  
  
Tala ignored him. Yaremka wasn't his concern right now. Figuring out what to do about Kai and Boris was. His talk with his friend had caused him to come full circle; he was back where he started. But then, deep down, he knew that he had already made his decision. He had made his choice back in Boris's office, he just hadn't realized it.  
  
"Tala… do you know… what you're going to do?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Tala mumbled. He raised his head and looked at Yaremka with depressed, yet strangely hopeful eyes. "I can't let Kai get hurt."  
  
Taking a deep breath at Tala's response, Yaremka knelt down, placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder, as Tala buried his head in his arms once again.   
  
  
  
Oh boy, now that Tala's made his choice, what's going to happen? You'll all see soon enough. ^.^ Suspense? Of course! Sorry guys!  
  
Anyway, I hope you weren't confused by any of this chapter, but if you are, just ask, I'll explain. ^.^ Please review, and I'll update this weekend. I'll also put chapter 4 of Win Me Back up by the weekend, hopefully. (Chapter 3 went up yesterday, if you care. ^.^) Ja ne!  
  
Review answers:  
  
-Anime-05: meant to say this last chapter. ^.^; Feel free to archive it if you want, I'd be honored.  
  
-Spilt Persona: Thanks! ^.^ You guys really should do your own story, let me know if you do, I'd love to read it! ^.^  
  
-Ancient Angel: Glad to hear you got the comp fixed. ^.^  
  
-Tenshiamanda: Nope, it definitely isn't. And yup, Dimitri survived. ^.^ She's only going to show up one or two more times, and only briefly.  
  
-Kaiiko-Chan: Yes it will. And you'll see why soon. ^.^  
  
-Vialana: now you know. Poor Tala. T.T Psst, can't wait until you update, "The Way Things Happen" ^.^  
  
-Whisper*2*imaginary: Believe it or not, you aren't the first person to poke me with a stick like that. ^.^; and I updated! ^.^  
  
-Matrix Kai: A hole in my memory? That sounds about right. ^.^;  
  
-dudems: Thanks! I have to update twice a week or this story will go one forever. (It's going to be really long) ^.^ And Thanks for the vanilla coke!  
  
-Selece*sieg hart: I emailed you, like you asked, hope that cleared thing up for you. And I updated Win Me Back. ^.^  
  
-Blue eyed Angel2: Thanks! We'll see what happens to Kai next chapter. Hopefully. *checks her notes*  
  
-Bickbee: Thanks, glad you like it. ^.^  
  
-Krixel: I feel sorry for Tala too. T.T but he has to be tortured for the sake of the story! (Brave Tala) Psst! Update Worse than Death and Where's The Love really soon! ^.^  
  
-Tala: ^.^ Thanks for the Vanilla coke and multicolored foam. I live again! ^.^  
  
-Anime 05: ^.^ If you really want spoilers, I'll give them to you over AIM or in email, but won't that ruin the surprise? ^.^ 


	28. Coming To Grips

Hey guys. Sorry, but this is most likely going to be a short chapter. I'm pretty tired. Too much staying up late lately. ~.~ Anyway, enjoy! And thank you for all the reviews! I'm so surprised and happy! You guys are the best! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 28  
  
Normal POV  
  
Yaremka stared down at Tala with worried eyes, watching his friend's bright red hair rustle in a soft breeze. The boy had grown awfully quiet after making his decision. He sat with his back against the rough bark of the tree, his sapphire eyes glassy as he stared off into the distance, staring at something only he could see.  
  
  
  
Leaning forward, Yaremka tried to catch Tala's gaze. He was worried; the only other time Tala had acted this depressed was…  
  
"Hey…Tala." He reached out a hand to shake Tala's shoulder gently. "You…going to be…ok?"  
  
Blue eyes lifted slightly, his head turning. Slowly, he blinked, coming back into focus with his surroundings. "Yeah. I'm ok."  
  
"You…sure?"  
  
Tala nodded. He needed to focus. There was no point in getting depressed over this now. Boris was trying to get to him, he couldn't let it. Slowly, he got to his feet. "I'll be all right. Let's go somewhere, ok? I don't want to just sit around here."  
  
Yaremka nodded, still concerned but resolved to let it go. Tala was capable of taking care of himself; he didn't need someone to watch over him. Yaremka wasn't a good role model anyway. He was corrupt, immoral, and thoroughly without hope for reform; while Tala, Yaremka knew, was good at heart, despite his upbringing. He didn't want to have any of his faults rub off on the blader.  
  
"Where…do you want…to go?" Yaremka asked as the two started back towards the street. Tala shrugged.  
  
"I don't care. Anywhere." He mumbled, staring down at the ground as they walked.  
  
There was a few seconds of silence as Yaremka considered. There weren't exactly a lot of options. They couldn't go back to his house, Dimitri wasn't company they wanted right then.   
  
Yaremka glanced over. "Let's get…something to eat."  
  
Tala shrugged indifferently and looked away, slightly uncomfortable. "I don't have any money." He said in a low voice.  
  
Yaremka had figured as much. He knew that Tala had been saving money that he had managed to skim off of the fund Boris provided him with when he went into Moscow, but that money was an emergency fund; Tala wouldn't spend it.  
  
"I'll…pay."  
  
The crimson haired boy flashed him a small smile. "Thanks."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
  
  
The pair turned a corner and headed towards the small restaurant they had once frequented. As they walked, Yaremka attempted to make conversation, but after several short, distracted answers from Tala, he figured that the boy was preoccupied and let things drop.   
  
It was obvious that Tala was going to need some time to think about things and come to grip with what he was about to do. Yaremka could certainly understand that. He had made a tough choice, and things were only going to get harder for him. The next couple of days were going to be long ones, and Tala would need support. Yaremka knew that the responsibility to comfort Tala would be mainly on his shoulders, since the boy Tala was in love with was at the center of the problem.  
  
They reached a small, dingy restaurant, set down from the street by a set of narrow stairs. Yaremka lead Tala down and held the door open for him, before walking in himself. The room was small and dark, dotted by several tiny, round tables. The carpet underfoot was dirty and worn, the lights overhead dim.  
  
The restaurant was empty save for a bored looking waitress in her mid twenties standing against a counter and cleaning a glass with a dirty rag.  
  
"Same…as when we were…last here, eh?" Yaremka commented and Tala forced a small smile.   
  
"Some things never change." Tala replied as the two sat down and the waitress wandered over. Without even looking at the menu, Yaremka ordered for both himself and Tala, knowing exactly what the boy wanted. The woman walked away, and he took advantage of the privacy to address his friend.  
  
"How have you…known Kai?" He asked, his curiosity about the boy that had captured Tala's heart as of late getting the better of him.  
  
Tala tried to count back the years. "A long time. Since we were little kids. We grew up together."  
  
"How did he get involved… with the abbey?"   
  
"So far as I know," Tala answered. "He was born there. Voltaire is his grandfather."  
  
Yaremka's eyes widened slightly, but he tried to hide his surprise. "Oh."  
  
"We haven't talked about it really."  
  
"You're…in love with him."  
  
Tala frowned. That sounded more like a statement than a question. "Yes, I do."  
  
Yaremka hesitated, as if he was trying to choose his next question carefully. "Does…he know yet?"  
  
Resting his head in his hand and tapping a finger against the chipped wood surface of the table, Tala smiled, brightening noticeably at the topic of Kai. "Not yet. That I know of, at least."  
  
"Are you going to tell him?" Yaremka asked, his tone of voice suddenly more serious and less dreamy than normal.  
  
  
  
With a nod, Tala replied, "Yes. On his birthday"  
  
"On…his birthday?"  
  
  
  
"His birthday is coming soon." Tala explained. "I want to tell then."  
  
Yaremka nodded and left the topic alone. By the way Tala's attitude changed when he was talking about telling Kai how he felt, the boy was fairly confident that Kai felt the same way. Yaremka was beginning to understand why Tala was so desperate to protect his friend's safety.  
  
Tala raised his eyes as their food arrived, thanking the woman silently. As she left, Yaremka watched his friend closely. He was studying his body language closely, trying to get insight into what Tala was thinking. As Tala looked back and met his gaze, he lowered his eyes back to his plate, and the two ate in silence.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Kai stared down at Dranzer's blade as it spun in the dish. He had fully intended to train hard today, but knowing that Tala was in Boris's office was weighing on his mind and making it impossible. He couldn't concentrate well enough to get anything significant accomplished.  
  
Holding out his hand, Dranzer leapt from the dish and landed in his palm. Clutching it tightly, he glanced towards the door, anxiety showing clearly on his face.  
  
'Where is he? Why isn't he back yet?' Kai bit his lip nervously. 'Tala, what's going on?'   
  
  
  
Sorry about the short chapter, they won't stay like this. The next one will be longer and less meaningless than this.   
  
I'm only going to answer a few reviews today, instead of all of them like last time.  
  
Vialana: Thank you. I'm glad you like Yaremka. ^.^ I don't know how much more he'll show up, though. I haven't decided. And as for their past relationship…I'll leave that up to the readers imagination. ^.^  
  
Spilt Persona: Thanks! Another person who likes Yaremka and the way he talks. ^.^ I personally like him a lot better than Dimitri, but the way he talks is a pain to write. So many ellipses. But that my own fault. ^.^   
  
CC Queen Of the Damned: I'm sorry! But for the sake of the plot…^.^; Please spare my life! *begs*  
  
Matrix Kai: Yes, Dimitri is a guys name, but nonetheless, it's what I wanted her name to be. In the revised version, however, I may change it to Dimitra. And the chapters are only getting shorter because I'm lazy and tired with work and school coming up. They won't stay this way. 


	29. Fate

O.O Wow! I can't believe it! 300 reviews! You guys are the best, ^.^ you've made me so happy. And in celebration, *gestures to giant boxes of chocolate and strawberry pocky* I've bought pocky. Everyone, help yourselves! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 29  
  
Normal POV  
  
Folding his arms across his chest, Kai stared down at the dish, his face creased with worry. It had been early two hours since Tala went to Boris's office, and he was starting to feel anxious. There was no reason why the meeting should be taking so long.   
  
'Why isn't Tala back yet? It's taking way too long.' Kai thought, nearly twitching in frustration. 'Something must have happened.'  
  
He closed his eyes, trying to think. Tala had promised that he would come see him when he was done, and it was unlikely that he would forget that. Unlikely, but not impossible. He might have forgotten, or had gotten distracted afterwards, but that just didn't seem like him. Tala was always reliable; he never broke promises.   
  
It might be something as simple as that; he might have forgotten, but what if that wasn't the case? What if something had gone wrong? Tala had been pretty angry with Boris the night before, had he forgotten that he promised he wouldn't do anything dumb? His anger was one of Tala's greatest faults. When he became too emotional, he tended to act only on his feelings, and not think things through. Had he lost control, when he had finally come face to face with the abbey director? Had he tried to attack him, or start some kind of trouble? Boris wouldn't hesitate to lock him up if that was the case.  
  
The abrupt silence that gripped the room as Dranzer stopped spinning in the dish jolted Kai out of his thoughts. He was so distracted that he had forgotten that he was supposed to be practicing. Reaching down, he picked up the blue blade and gripped it tightly.  
  
'All right, enough of the 'what if?' game, Kai' he thought. 'It's probably nothing. You know how Tala can be.'  
  
But that was the exact problem. That wasn't how Tala was. Tala never flaked out like this.   
  
  
  
Looking down, he noticed blood was seeping out from between his fingers. In his anxiousness, he hadn't even realized that he was gripping Dranzer so tightly that the blade was beginning to cut his hand. Sighing to himself, he wiped the blood off on his jeans and walked to the wall, sliding down to a sitting position.   
  
"What should I do?" he mumbled. "Should I go find him, or wait here? If I leave now and he comes by, he might freak when he finds I'm gone." A small smile crossed his face. It felt kind of nice, knowing that Tala would worry about him if he found him missing. It was comforting to know that Tala cared about him.  
  
Placing his blade on the ground, he stared towards the door, hoping with every second that passed that the door would swing open and Tala would step inside. Despite his wishes, however, the door remained closed.  
  
He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the cool stone wall. His abdomen hurt, but there wasn't much he could do about that. Redoing his bandages and tying them tighter might help to support his healing ribs, but quite honestly, he wanted Tala to help him with that.  
  
'This isn't good.' He thought, somewhat amused. 'I'm becoming addicted to him. Just look at me, I'm freaking out because he isn't here.'  
  
It was true. The more time he spent with Tala, the lonelier he felt when he was alone. If this situation had been taking place with anyone else, he wouldn't have cared as much. He might feel worried, yes, because he knew exactly what type of man Boris was, but he certainly wouldn't be freaking out like this.  
  
He held a hand up to his face. 'Why can't I control my emotions around him? It's as if I'm a different person whenever he's around, I feel different around him. It's like everything that's bad suddenly disappears when he's around, I feel happy, and like nothing matter but him. I don't understand.'  
  
Scarlet eyes closed slowly as he tried to sort through his confused thoughts. He wasn't used to dealing with these types of emotions, and honestly, he felt a little scared.  
  
'We grew up together. We're closer than most brothers. And yet, I know that what I feel for him isn't just brotherly love. It's more than that. Much more.'  
  
He sighed and felt around blindly for Dranzer, gripping the blade tightly. 'I know that I'm in love with him, but how can I be? How will he react if he knew? I know we flirt around and stuff, but this is much deeper than that. What if he's just goofing off with me, he'd freak if I told him.'  
  
Slowly, he opened his eyes, staring at the door as though he could see through it. 'But I have to tell him sooner or later. I can't just keep hiding this from him. I have to be honest. But how?'  
  
He contemplating, trying to find a good way to approach the situation. There was no easy way to go about this. He had to tell it to Tala's face, there was no way he would leave a note or letter for him, like some lovesick schoolgirl. He was stronger than that. Strong enough to face this head on.  
  
He considered this, but the large doors of the training room swinging open slowly quickly interrupted his thoughts. His eyes brightened slightly, thinking that finally Tala had come, but when he saw who it was silhouetted against the lights of the hallway, his expression quickly changed.  
  
"What do you want." He asked coldly, his face returning to the emotionless mask he wore.   
  
"I didn't know I wasn't allowed here."  
  
Kai narrowed his eyes. "You aren't. Now get the hell out, Bryan."  
  
Bryan smirked and stepped forward, closing the door behind him. He surveyed the room, and seemed to be making mental notes of everything. "Look at you. Slacking off already, huh? I'm surprised that Boris hasn't already dismissed you from the abbey. You're useless."  
  
A barely audible growl escaped Kai's throat, but other than that he didn't respond. He held Bryan's lavender gaze with his own scarlet eyes, even as the boy wandered over and knelt down in front of him, smiling broadly.   
  
"But then, maybe I'm not surprised." Bryan said, his voice a low, husky whisper. He reached out a hand and stroked Kai's cheek, his eyes full of loathing. "You know why he keeps you here, right? It's because he likes you."  
  
Slapping the hand away, Kai refused to let his gaze falter. "I'm not in the mood for your shit, Bryan."  
  
Bryan continued, unfazed by the words. "You know that it's the only thing you're good for, don't you?"  
  
"I'm warning you, Bryan…"  
  
The lavender gaze suddenly hardened, and seemed to fill with even more hate and disgust. "The only thing you're good for is to be Boris's sex toy!"  
  
Before Kai even knew what he was doing, he was on his feet, holding Bryan by the front of his shirt. It was taking all of his self-control not to hit the boy; he was itching to wipe that self-satisfied smirk off of his face. "You son of a bitch."  
  
"What's wrong Kai?" Bryan asked. "Does the truth hurt? Why don't you be a good dog and lay down so Boris can pet you."  
  
What ever self control Kai had disappeared after that comment. His right fist lashed out, catching Bryan in the eye and causing him to stumble backwards.  
  
Despite his rapidly bruising face, Bryan managed to smirk at Kai. This was exactly what he was hoping Kai would do. He knew that his words were striking a nerve in the phoenix, and he was enjoying it.   
  
"It's only what you deserve, Kai." He whispered, holding onto his swelling eye. "Deny it all you want, but it's your fate to be nothing but a pet to Boris." He grinned. "Just accept it, and try to enjoy it."  
  
Hmm…this turned out shorter than I hoped, but this seemed like a good stopping place before next chapter. Sorry about that! ^.^  
  
*Brings out boxes of donuts and coffee* Ok! Please take a donut and leave a review, and I'll see you this weekend! ^.^ 


	30. Waking

Greetings everybody! Sorry for the late update, but I was completely wiped out yesterday and didn't get off my lazy butt to update. Sorry. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 30  
  
Normal POV  
  
"Just accept it, and try to enjoy it."  
  
Bryan's smirk grew. He was enjoying the reaction Kai was having to his words. He could see rage in his ruby eyes, barely hidden behind a mask of calmness and detachment. The sudden burst of anger Kai had allowed to escape when he had hit Bryan was gone now, pushed back and subdued by self-control that had taken years to master.   
  
Although it would have been much more fun to watch Kai snap and to see all the barely contained rage the boy possessed out in the open, Bryan would have to settle for what he could get.   
  
"Do you want another black eye, Bryan?" Kai asked, his voice calm and cool, as though he were engaged in a normal conversation, rather than trying to resist the urge to violently murder the boy in front of him.  
  
Bryan smiled and waved a hand dismissivly. "No thank you." He said. "I think we're done for today. There's a certain red haired blader I want to go find."  
  
He laughed and Kai clenched his fists. It wasn't hard to figure out that he meant Tala; the thought of Bryan anywhere near his friend enraged him. He wanted to react, to jump forward and catch Bryan before he left, to punch his face until his jaw broke and he could no longer wear that self-confident smirk…  
  
But he didn't.  
  
He let Bryan leave without trying to stop him. A part of Kai was glad that he was gone, but another part was frustrated that he had failed to react, failed to give Bryan exactly what he deserved…  
  
Turning away, Kai grasped Dranzer's blade tightly, taking several deep, shaking breaths in an attempt to calm himself. Anger would get him nowhere now; this was how Bryan was hoping he would react.  
  
'That bastard, how did he know anyway?'  
  
********  
  
Bryan let the doors swing closed behind him, his eyes shut as he tried to contain hysterical laughter. He loved to see Kai in pain; it was something the silver haired boy deserved. The Hiwatari brat, that so called perfect blader, what was so great about him anyway? Sure, he was one of the only two genetically perfect children the abbey currently housed, and also the master of the legendary and wholly terrifying Black Dranzer, but that meant nothing to Bryan. It didn't explain why Boris chose to favor him like a work of fine art, while at the same time abuse him and try to forcefully break him to his will.  
  
And molest him as well, if Bryan was to believe Ian and judge by Kai's reaction. He laughed; Ian really had no idea what he was doing when he had come asking his advice. The boy had been so confused, and had been ready to tell Tala everything he had seen, but Bryan had dissuaded him. He would go talk to Kai, and find out what was going on.   
  
'Ian is so trusting.' Bryan thought, smirking to himself. He was just lucky that the boyhood come to him first rather than Tala. He had the upperhand now. He knew Kai's dirty little secret, and Tala was clueless.  
  
Laughing to himself, he walked away, heading towards to Boris's office. The two had so much to discuss.  
  
*********  
  
"Hey, Kai. Are you awake?"   
  
Dismissing the voice as a fragment of his dreams, Kai rolled over, burying his face in his pillow. He knew it was nearly morning, but made no attempt to wake up. The pervious evening had come and gone, with still no sign of Tala, and despite his concerns, Kai had finally fallen into a fitful sleep. The night hadn't been a peaceful one; most of it had been spent halfway between sleep and reality, with Kai gaining no real rest from it.  
  
A soft nudge on the arm attracted his attention as the voice came again. He was sure it wasn't a dream now, but still, he made no attempts to wake up. The bed sank slightly as someone sat down next to him. Kai remained motionless, trying to convince the visitor that he was still asleep. Evidently it worked. Kai heard a soft sigh and felt gentle fingers brush his silver hair away from is face.  
  
"I guess I'll wait until you wake up, beautiful."  
  
Despite his attempts not to, Kai couldn't help but smile at the words. Knowing that he could no longer fake sleep, he rolled over, staring up at the face above him.  
  
"Hey Tala." He said, his voice quiet.  
  
Tala gave him a wistful smile. He was feeling bad, knowing he had broken a promise to Kai, and was hoping that the boy wouldn't be too angry with him. "Good morning."  
  
Kai sat up, unsuccessfully stifling a yawn. He was relived to see Tala safe, but he couldn't help but feel a little resentful.   
  
"I'm sorry Kai."  
  
Blinking sleepily, Kai looked at him. "Why?"  
  
Unconsciously, Tala's hand sought out Kai's under the sheets and squeezed it. "I said I would come see you after I went to see Boris, and I didn't."  
  
Kai made no move to let go of Tala's hand. It was a small, and yet comforting gesture. "You were gone all night."  
  
Tala nodded. "I know. I needed time to clear my head."  
  
Nodding his understanding, Kai continued. "Where did you stay? Is everything all right?"  
  
"I stayed with a friend." Tala told him. There was definitely a worried expression on Kai's face. He had obviously been concerned for him. "Everything's ok. Boris just wanted to yell at me, that's all." He lied. Now wasn't the time to try and talk to Kai about what Boris had said.  
  
There were a few seconds of silence as Kai lowered his eyes, evidently embarrassed. "I was worried."  
  
A faint smile crossed Tala's face, and impulsively, he reached out and pulled the other teen into a hug. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and Kai unconsciously nuzzled the side of his face. "I wasn't thinking."  
  
When Kai didn't respond to the apology, Tala looked down at him, frowning. "Kai?"  
  
He smiled, realizing that Kai had fallen back asleep, resting on his shoulder. The night must have been a restless one for him, if he was this tired, but unfortunately, there wasn't any more time to sleep. Boris had already given out assignments for the day.  
  
"Get up." Tala said, shoving Kai gently away. "We have work to do."  
  
Shifting slightly, Kai mumbled something under his breath. His words were muffled and inaudible, so Tala leaned forward, trying to hear better.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I said, bite me."  
  
Tala laughed. What a way with words. Placing one hand on Kai's shoulder, he leaned forward so that his lips brushed against the pale neck. "With pleasure. But not right now." He straightened up and a pink blush crept across Kai's cheeks. "We have work to do, so get your cute ass out of bed."  
  
*********  
  
"This is ridiculous!" Kai fumed as he stepped down and felt himself sink into the calf deep snow. "When the hell did it snow?!"  
  
Slightly amused, Tala responded. "Last night, didn't you realize?"  
  
Kai glared at him as the two continued forward, trying to keep their balance. "No. Unlike you, I wasn't out until all hours of the night, you freaking nocturne."  
  
Tala laughed, he loved seeing Kai get frustrated like this. In reality, he wasn't very happy about he assignment Boris had given them, but at least they weren't separated again.  
  
"Clear the abbey grounds of snow, he says!" Kai continued. He shot Tala a look when he heard the boy laugh. "Any idea where we're going to put it all?!"  
  
"No." Tala admitted. "But that's what make it fun."  
  
"Fun? You call this miniature Siberian expedition fun?"  
  
"Yes." Tala whispered. "Any time I have with you is fun."  
  
Kai looked up to meet his gaze. "What did you say? I didn't catch that."  
  
Tala smiled. "Nothing."  
  
A meaningless chapter? Perhaps, but next chapter, you'll see that there's a reason why Boris sent both Tala and Kai outside to work.   
  
Sorry that the chapter jumped around a bit, but we're only a little more than halfway through the story, so I needed to get things moving. Starting next chapter, we'll get into the real action. ^.^  
  
Anyway, please leave me a review and I'll update on Wednesday, ok? ^.^ 


	31. Property

It is, *checks watch* 9:14 pm, and I'm sitting here, in my pajamas, eating dunkaroos and updating, when I should be sleeping. But you know what? Who cares! ^.^   
  
Tiredness= short chappie. Sorry. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 31  
  
Normal POV  
  
Boris leaned back in his chair, fingers laced together and staring off into space, apparently deep in thought. It was an interesting turn of events, something he hadn't been expecting. Sure, there had been little hints, small inklings, but did he ever take them seriously? Of course not. He was, admittedly, caught off guard.  
  
He supposed he should be thankful though. If it hadn't been for Bryan, coming to him with "something important to discuss", he might never have known. He knew there was something there, but he had underestimated it, saw as something completely different.  
  
Tala and Kai? Lovers? He wouldn't have guessed. They were close, for sure, but Boris had always been under the impression that they regarded themselves as brothers.   
  
Apparently not.  
  
He tapped the tips of his fingers together, pondering this change of events. He had put much thought into it the night before as well, trying to decide the best way to deal with this situation. He already knew what he planned to do, but how to go about it was a more delicate question. He had to be sure that he got his point across.  
  
The point being, to Tala, that Kai was his property and no one else's. If he wanted Kai to remain only as a toy for his personal pleasure, then that was what the boy would be.  
  
The point to Kai being, that he was Boris's pet, his favorite toy, and nothing more, if that was what Boris wanted.  
  
  
  
Bryan of course, hadn't come forward with the information without demanding a price. The boy never did anything out of the kindness of his heart, provided he even had a heart. He wanted something in return for exposing Kai and Tala's dirty little secret. And naturally, the price he demanded was Tala himself.  
  
Boris considered. What had the boy's exact words been? Oh yes…  
  
'You and I both want the same thing, sir. However, you wish for Kai while I desire Tala. In payment for giving you this information, I want him to be designated as my property.'  
  
Inwardly, Boris chuckled. Bryan was such a bold fellow; completely fearless.   
  
Boris despised that.  
  
Even Kai and Tala, who were by far the best bladers he had ever produced, were not without fear. They held a healthy trepidation for that which they could not control, which was something Boris enjoyed. He liked his bladers to live with some fear. It made them that much more perfect in his eyes.  
  
Boris raised his eyes to the door of his office, listening to the hollow knock from the other side. "Enter." He commanded, and remained as he was, seemingly calm and composed.  
  
Two abbey workers, clad in heavy cloaks, stepped inside, moving to stand in front of the desk. They remained silent, waiting for Boris to speak.   
  
For a few seconds, it was silent, before Boris finally decided to say something.  
  
"I want surveillance placed in the personal chambers of both Kai and Tala. And I want it done today."  
  
The workers hesitated, not sure what to make of this. It was an unspoken rule that no cameras or bugs be placed in the private rooms of the abbey residents. There was never a reason why, it was just how things were. This was indeed out of the ordinary to them. They were very aware of the high standing both bladers held within in the abbey, Voltaire's grandson and the captain of the Demolition Boys had to be the two boys most loyal to Biovolt. After all, Kai stood only to gain more from Biovolt's success, and Tala was, well, brainwashed they supposed.  
  
"Sir, what would you like us to do if one of them were to see us putting in the surveillance?"  
  
Boris waved a hand dismissively. "They won't. Tala and Kai are currently occupied outside. Now get to work."  
  
As they turned to leave, Boris smirked. 'I told you the abbey had eyes everywhere Kai. If what Bryan said proves to be true, then you've just sealed your fate.'  
  
************  
  
Pausing for a moment, Tala wiped the sweat off his brow. It was amazing how a person could work up a sweat, even in below freezing temperatures. If wasn't healthy in his opinion. Leaning on his shovel, he watched as Kai continued to try and clear away the snow.  
  
After some thought, the two had figured out a way to get the snow off the grounds; by throwing it over the high abbey fence, and into the streets. It wasn't easy, but after a few failed attempts and a few faces full of snow, they got the hang of it.  
  
"Take a break Kai." Tala suggested as he lay down his shovel and took a seat on some of the cleared ground. Nodding, Kai followed suit, sitting next to him.  
  
Thanks to the setup of the abbey, the two were currently in a blind spot that stretched for about ten square feet along the back wall of the abbey. The cameras couldn't see them right then, and they were enjoying the privacy.  
  
"You're birthday is coming up soon." Tala said, half trying to make conversation.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What do you want as a gift?"  
  
Kai shook his head. "Nothing. Don't get me anything, I won't be able to get you anything for yours."  
  
"I don't care." Tala shrugged. Since when did Kai feel like that? "What if I said I had already gotten you a gift?"  
  
Kai glanced at him, and then went back to staring into space. "You haven't."  
  
"Think so?"  
  
Kai laughed softly. "You wouldn't have asked me what I wanted if you had."  
  
Tala smiled. "Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong."  
  
The two lapsed into silence again, but neither felt uncomfortable. They were both quiet by nature, so silence was fine. Surprisingly though, it was Kai who spoke next.  
  
"Tala, I know what I want for my birthday."  
  
Smiling to himself, Tala replied, "Oh?"  
  
Gesturing at the fence behind them, Kai nodded. "Yeah. I want out. Out of this place, and away from my grandfather. I want to be free."  
  
Suddenly, Tala felt sad. So Kai really was miserable with his life. He could understand why. After all Tala knew he had been through…  
  
"You'll be free. I know you will be." Tala reassured, although he knew his words couldn't help much. The abbey was too oppressing, too hard to escape.  
  
Kai laughed, but it was a bitter laugh, without a hint of humor. "No. Even if I could run away, I'm still trapped."  
  
Tala frowned. "Why?"  
  
"Have you ever seen your birth certificate?"   
  
Caught off guard by the randomness of the question, Tala didn't know how to respond. "No. No I haven't. I haven't ever thought to go look."  
  
A small smile crossed Kai's face, but it was definitely a sad one. "I saw mine, once. There's a place on there, where the names of your biological parents are supposed to be listed."  
  
"So?"  
  
The smiled turned bitter and resentful. "My parents names aren't listed on there."  
  
Tala was surprised, but tried to hide it. Somehow he thought that Kai wouldn't appreciate the reaction. "What does it say, then?"  
  
Kai spat out his next words.  
  
"Biovolt Corporation."  
  
Tala fell silent. He was shocked, caught off guard; he didn't know what to say. "Kai…"  
  
"My mother and father aren't even listed as my biological parents." He said bitterly, not looking at Tala. "Legally, I'm Biovolt's creation."  
  
He laughed and shook his head. "And you want to know what's even worse? My legal guardians? You know, in case something should happen to my 'parents'?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Boris Balcov and Voltaire Hiwatari."  
  
Strange chapter? Yes I know. ^.^ Hope you aren't confused. So know we know a little of Kai's past, and alter in the story there will be more about his mother and father and such.   
  
And now we know what Boris is up to, eh? ^.^  
  
Anyway, please leave a review, and I'll update this weekend!  
  
Matrix Kai: A Kai/Tala lemon will come in time. ^.^ anticipation is half the fun, you know.   
  
And thank you everybody, for all the wonderful reviews. You guys are the best. ^.^ 


	32. Talking

Oi. Al lright, this was not a school induced delay, not was it a laziness induced delay, but a my-coworkers-suck-and-forced-me-to-close-when-they-knew-I-had-school-the-next-day delay. *Pauses to catch her breath* Very short update today, I have a tremendous headache and homework to do. ^.^ sorry guys. And I'll try to answer your questions at the end of the chappie. Okie dokie, enjoy!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 32  
  
Normal POV  
  
Tala let his eyes drift up towards the sky. Stone gray clouds had rolled back across the sky, looming heavily and threatening snow. It was appropriate, he thought, for the sudden depressing nature his conversation with Kai had taken. It wasn't too difficult to see that Kai was bothered by thoughts of his parents; even he had problems hiding such heavy emotions. And even if it didn't show on his face, Tala would have been able to tell; there was a certain way the air seemed to change when Kai was upset or depressed. It was all in Tala's mind of course, but that made no difference.  
  
With a sigh, he turned away, not able to bear looking at Kai's depressed face anymore. He hated seeing him like that, it bothered him. He wandered over and rested against the brick side of the building, trying to make himself comfortable against the cold stone.  
  
"Kai…" he began, somewhat uncomfortably. "I, I don't know what to say."  
  
Ruby eyes lifted slowly, a faint smile flitting across his features. "I'm not asking for you to say anything." Kai told him, his voice soft.   
  
Reaching over, Tala absentmindedly brushed snow away from a grate set in the side of the building. Several white flakes stuck to his black gloves melt quickly from the warmth of his hands. He sighed, and wiped the moisture away on his pants.  
  
"Guess I'm not a great conversationalist," he began. "but don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't care or something…"  
  
"I'm glad you don't know what to say. I don't want you to say anything." Kai smiled, very faintly and very sadly. "I just felt like telling you, that's all."  
  
Tala returned the smile. At least Kai was cheering up, a little. "Well, I'm glad." He mumbled.  
  
It was quiet for a few seconds, as both boys sat in silent thought. They knew they should be finishing their work, but judging by the looks of the sky overhead, it would be futile to do anymore.   
  
"Another storm must be blowing in…" Tala said, making random conversation. he wanted Kai to talk, keep his mind off of things, so he figured he'd better start the conversation.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Tala shook his head in amusement. Somehow, the short, uncommunicative response was more comforting than if Kai had launched in a rambling answer. At least his response was normal for him.  
  
"Tala."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
Kai looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing over there? Come sit with me."  
  
Tala laughed softly. He hadn't even noticed. "Did you ever think that I'd rather sit over here?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
He tilted his head to the side. "Sitting over here, I can look at you."   
  
Despite his own reply, Tala got to his feet and walked over the fence, sitting down on the ground next to Kai. He shifted for a few minutes, trying to find a comfortable position that didn't involve a metal bar jabbing into his back.  
  
"This is ridiculous." He growled, still shifting. "It's uncomfortable."  
  
"Didn't you call me crazy because I couldn't get uncomfortable in bed?"  
  
"You are crazy."  
  
Kai frowned at him. He knew the crimson haired boy was only joking, but still.  
  
Tala finally gave up and turned around so he would be facing Kai. Sitting cross legged on the ground, he looked at Kai. "All right, listen." He began. "On your birthday…"  
  
Kai sighed. He didn't understand why Tala was making such a big deal about his birthday. It wasn't like it was anything special to him; it was just another day in his life. When he was in Japan, he never celebrated; he simply made a mental note that he was a year older and went on with life as usual. And yet…  
  
"Tala, I hope you aren't planning some hair brained event."  
  
Tala smirked. "And if I am?"  
  
"Tala…"  
  
He held up a hand to silence the boy. "Listen, it's everyday that my best friend's birthday comes around. It is worth a scheme." He laughed internally. Kai really was insistent on making his birthday just another day. Not that his wishes would help any. Tala was determined. "Now shut and listen ok?"  
  
Kai kept silent, so Tala grinned and continued.   
  
"Make sure you're up early that day. We have plans in the city, ok?"  
  
Kai raised an eyebrow. There had to be something more. "We aren't going to be socializing with any of your weird friends are we?"  
  
For a second, Tala considered putting Kai on a guilt trip and feigning offense, but thought better of it. "No," he lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's going to be just you and me, beautiful."  
  
Kai blushed, but he was happy to hear it. He felt they needed more time alone together. The abbey didn't provide them with any privacy.  
  
"All right, that sounds ok, I guess." He stood, brushing snow off of his pants. "I'm sick of just sitting around. Let's go have a battle or something."  
  
Nodding, Tala followed suit and stood. "Fine by me, it's getting late and it's going to snow anyway."  
  
As the started back inside, Kai turned around to look at Tala. "Hey, are you sleeping in my room tonight?"  
  
Tala smirked. "Naturally."  
  
Bleh. That was bad transition chapter. Sorry. ^.^ anyway, review answers!  
  
Tenshiamanda: ^.^ I don't know tha answer to that, sadly, but you have just given me an idea…  
  
Milly: sorry, I didn't mean to make Moscow seem boring. ^.^ I'd actually love to go there. It's on my list of, "places to go before I turn senile" *holds up a long list* see? ^.^  
  
Selece*sieg heart: In the manga, Kai does have parents (I have the Japanese manga and can't read a word of it ^.^;) but for the sake of this fic…well…you'll see. ^.~  
  
Thank you to every one who reviewed! You guys are the best. *Tosses out random plushies* And I've made a decision; since so many people like Yaremka, I'm going to have him come back later in the story. I wasn't planning on it at first, but yeah, oh well. And from what I have planned, Dimitri won't come back. Because I hate her. ^.^  
  
Anyway, review and an update will come on Wednesday. ^.^ 


	33. Crossed

Ahh… today is a good day. I don't have to work, my homework is done, and I can look forward to going to sleep nice and early today. ^.^ and being as I'm not in a rush, I can make this chapter nice and long. Hopefully. ^.^ And thank you, everyone, for all the nice reviews! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 33  
  
Normal POV  
  
'1…2…3…'  
  
Kai mentally counted off the seconds in his head, keeping his ruby eyes trained on the camera silently scanning the hallway. His back was pressed against the wall as he peeked discreetly around the corner into the hallway that led to Tala's room. The red haired boy was already inside, but Kai would have to wait several minutes before even attempting to follow. After all, Big Brother was keeping tabs on them at all times.  
  
'27…28…'  
  
After their chores and their little talk outside, the two had gone inside, and after finding an empty training room, as far away from the others as possible, had taken turns challenging each other to matches. The matches had ended up in draws about 70% of the time, but nonetheless, they had fun. Kai had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed going up against his friend; during the time he had spent with his grandfather, beyblading had almost become a chore for him.  
  
'34…35…'  
  
After a while, they had both decided that it would be a good idea to give it a rest for the night. They were getting tired, after all, and it was getting late anyway.   
  
Even though Tala had said he would spend the night in Kai's room, they both had agreed that they needed a change of scenery, and decided on going to Tala's room instead. It would help to dissuade suspicion anyway; someone was bound to notice if they continued going to Kai's room. After all, they weren't able to completely avoid the surveillance at all times, not matter what they tried. The simple fact was, the abbey was designed to keep tabs on its residents.  
  
'45…46…now!'  
  
The camera lens swerved away, directing it's lifeless gaze in the other end of the hallway. Taking this opportunity, Kai moved forward, quickly and quietly, keeping his eyes fixed on the camera. If for whatever reason, his timing was off, he would have to go back and wait for another opportunity.   
  
He reached Tala's closed door, and without pausing to knock, he opened the door and slipped inside. The room was dark, but Kai knew Tala was there…somewhere.  
  
"Tala?" Kai whispered. He wasn't sure why he was keeping his voice down, it just somehow seemed appropriate. Taking a few steps further into the room, he tried to get his eyes to adjust. "Tala?"  
  
Tala held a hand up to his mouth to muffle his snicker. This was too perfect. Stepping forward silently, he reached out and gently grabbed Kai's shoulder, leaning close to whisper in the boy's ear. "Yes Kai?"  
  
Inwardly, Kai flinched, but his body gave no reaction, save for the warm blush on his cheeks. "Knock it off." He said gruffly, trying to hide his surprise. He was a little embarrassed that Tala had managed to sneak up on him. "Turn the light on."  
  
"Why? Are you afraid?" Tala's voice was smooth, taunting. He smirked.   
  
"Come on, you know I don't bite hard."  
  
"Tala…"  
  
Tala laughed. Once again, he had elicited the exact response he had wanted from Kai. And although the darkness prevented him from seeing Kai's face, he was satisfied. For the most part.  
  
"All right, all right," he conceded. "…you big baby."  
  
Kai frowned. He really did resent the baby comment coming from Tala, but when the other boy turned on the light and saw Kai's expression, all he got was laugh.  
  
"I'm not a baby Tala…"  
  
With a grin and shake of his head, Tala gently grasped the sides of Kai's face. "My baby." He mumbled. Kai blushed. "Sit."  
  
"On the floor?"  
  
Tala rolled his eyes and smiled. "On the bed, dumbass." He laughed. "Let check your wounds."  
  
Kai sighed and moved towards the bed. He still hadn't decided whether or not he liked Tala pampering him. On one hand, it felt kind of nice to have someone care that much, but on the other hand…  
  
He shook his head. Why bother thinking about this now? He wouldn't get anywhere anyway; it would only serve to distract him from enjoying the limited time he had with his friend. He sat down the bed, moving as far to the center as possible to allow room for Tala to sit next to him.  
  
"How have they been healing?" Tala asked as he motioned for Kai to lift his arms and remove his shirt.   
  
Kai shrugged, as Tala peeled the bandages away from his pale chest. "Well they haven't gotten any worse, I guess."  
  
Tala nodded and fell silent, poking gently at his sides, feeling his ribs to see if they were healing well. "Does that hurt?"  
  
"No."  
  
Tala looked up at raised an eyebrow. "You aren't lying are you? I know how you can be…"  
  
"No, it really doesn't hurt anymore." Kai gave Tala a serious look, trying to convince him. "I'm not lying."  
  
Somewhat convinced, Tala nodded and placed his hand flat against Kai stomach. "Ok." He hesitated, not sure if wanted to continue. "You haven't…had any trouble with Boris since, have you?"  
  
"No." for once, Kai could tell him the truth. He hadn't any trouble with Boris; it was Bryan that was the problem. Not that he wanted to tell Tala that. There wasn't any doubt that he would start something if he knew what Bryan had said. "You didn't try and start anything with Boris, did you?"  
  
Tala pretended not to hear him, and gently rubbed his exposed flesh, the sensitive skin quivering slightly under his hand.   
  
When he didn't get a response, Kai gave him a hard look. "Tala…you promised you…"  
  
"I didn't." Tala reassured, raising his gaze before Kai could continue. He didn't want to make Kai doubt him anymore than he probably already did. His azure eyes held Kai's scarlet ones. "I swear."  
  
The look of doubt on Kai's face only lasted a few seconds longer. Despite his nature, Kai was making an attempt to trust Tala. After all, he should be able to trust his best friend, right?  
  
Tala watched his face carefully, making note of the thoughtful expression in his eyes. "What's up?"  
  
Shaking his head to clear his daze, a faint smile crossed Kai's face. "Hm?"  
  
Tala tapped his fingers on Kai's torso, making him twitch. "You looked kind spaced out." his blue eyes narrowed. "I'm not boring you that badly, am I?"  
  
When Kai opened his mouth to respond, Tala gave him a wolfish grin.  
  
"Because, you know Kai, I can find other ways to keep you entertained."  
  
Kai closed his mouth, biting back a reply. He had been expecting Tala to say something like that. "Hn."  
  
A look of amusement crept into Tala's eyes. Anyone that could have seen him would have known that there were less than pure thoughts running through his mind. Kai certainly made note of this, and smirked mentally.   
  
"You don't believe me?" Tala asked, lowering his voice. "Do I have to prove it to you?"  
  
Scarlet eyes widened slightly. "Tala…" there was slight, almost none existent tremble in Kai's voice. Surely Tala could be thinking of doing what Kai thought he was…  
  
Or maybe he was.  
  
The red haired Russian leaned forward, putting one hand on the bed next to Kai to support himself, and removing his hand from the pale stomach to rest it on Kai's cheek.  
  
"Well? Do I need to prove it?" Tala whispered.  
  
Kai didn't reply. He didn't even want to breathe if he could have helped it. Taking his silence as an unspoken 'yes', Tala pulled the fair face forward, and gently pressed his lips against Kai's.   
  
For several seconds, Kai couldn't find the will to move or respond. He wanted to, but he suddenly felt frozen in place, even though the room had suddenly become a lot warmer. By the time he shook off his shock however, Tala had pulled away, smiling softly.  
  
"You taste sweet."  
  
Kai blinked, suddenly at a loss for words, but Tala just rubbed his thumb over his cheek and continued.  
  
"It's time to sleep, you big baby."  
  
*********  
  
When Kai awoke the next morning, it only took a few minutes for the events of the night before to come flooding back. He smiled though a yawn, and made note of the date. August 24, which meant he was only a week away from his birthday. And even better, he realized, was that his birthday would fall on a Sunday. Sunday's were always easier than other days, and despite the normally strict schedule of the abbey, not much training was accomplished on them. Kai supposed it had something to do with religious observation, he vaguely remembered attending religious services on Sundays in his youth, but couldn't quite remember.   
  
It was ironic though.   
  
Glancing over, he saw that Tala was still next to him, his back facing towards him, still asleep. Nudging him in the side, Kai tried to rouse the boy from his sleep.   
  
"Hey, Tala." he mumbled. "Wake up."  
  
No response. Kai sighed.  
  
"Come on, Tala."  
  
Still nothing.  
  
"If you don't get up, I'm going to push you off the bed, Tala."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Don't think I'm lying…"  
  
Tala remained asleep.  
  
Kai sighed and shook his head. What a pain that boy could be…  
  
"I warned you…"  
  
THUMP!  
  
Tala's eyes shot open suddenly. He glanced around the room, somewhat dazed and surprised by the sudden shock, and with a pain in his back…  
  
"Kai! You asshole!"  
  
Laughing to himself, Kai shook his head and walked into the bathroom, calling over his shoulder. "I warned you darling."  
  
He closed the door, leaving Tala to rub his sore back and mumble under his breath. Pushing him off the bed was just low; that ingrate…   
  
He chuckled to himself. 'But that's Kai for you. That's why I love him." He stood up and walked over to his dresser, casting a quick glance at the bathroom door. The shower was running, so Tala figured he had a few minutes before Kai came back. Reaching into the top drawer, he pulled out a small box and opened the lid. Inside, on a piece of white tissue paper, lay a black collar with a silver cross hanging for it. His birthday gift for Kai.  
  
He had come across it while he was out with Yaremka a few days ago and thought it perfect for Kai; who had mentioned he wanted a cross. Although Tala didn't have any money with him at the time, Yaremka had taken care of paying for it, so Tala could pay him back once he got his saving from where he had it hidden in his room.  
  
Turning it over, he ran his fingers over the words engraved in the back. His first name was engraved vertically, while Kai's was inscribed horizontally, in such a way that they shared the first A in their names. Tala smiled, it was perfect.  
  
The shower water turned off, and he quickly placed the collar back into the box and put it away. There was still a week until Kai's birthday; it wasn't time for him to see it yet.  
  
Gomen. *Sighs* This chapter and the next one were supposed to be one long chapter, but my brother needs to use the comp, so I have to cut it short. Sorry. ^.^  
  
Next chapter will be a good one, so long as it turns out how I want it to. And guess who's going to make his/her/their second appearance next time? ^.~ It's probably not who you think…  
  
Anyway, please review, and I'll update this weekend. And I promise, it WILL be on the weekend this time. ^.^;  
  
Oh yes, one thing…  
  
Krixel: *holds out a Wolborg plushie* I'll give you this plushie if you update your stories soon…pretty please? ^.^ 


	34. Choices

*cries* I'm so lazy! I'm sorry! *grovels on the ground*  
  
*ahem* Ok. Perhaps I should have phrased the note last chapter differently. The person doesn't exactly come back but…you'll see. ^.~  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 34  
  
Normal POV  
  
Rubbing his back, Tala glared at Kai. He was feeling a little resentful that the boy had taken it upon himself to push him out of the bed. And it wasn't even as though it was Kai's bed. It was Tala's. He grumbled under his breath, glancing out of the corner of his at the boy, was finishing dressing after his shower.  
  
'I'll have to get him back somehow.' He thought, pushing closed the drawer. He didn't want Kai to come over and see anything that would make him suspicious. He had a lot planned for Kai's approaching birthday, and he didn't want any of the surprise ruined.  
  
"I'm gonna go take a shower." Tala said, turning towards Kai. "We I'm done we'll go eat, ok?"  
  
Kai looked back at him, adjusting his scarf. "Be quick, ok?"  
  
"Care to join me?"  
  
Kai laughed. Typical Tala. "But then I'll have to get dressed again."  
  
Tala narrowed his eyes in frustration. He wasn't being serious anyway. It wasn't time for that; that would be moving too fast. Even though it was tempting.  
  
He shrugged. "It's your loss, darling. I'll be quick."  
  
Nodding to himself as Tala shut the door, Kai made himself comfortable on the bed. He was tired, more tired than he should be.  
  
Yawing and closing his eyes, he buried his head in Tala's pillow. It smelt nice, like Tala. He smiled to himself. It was amazing. A year ago, he would have freaked out for having these types of thoughts, but now it nice. He was liking the feeling. Maybe it was from being out from his grandfather's iron rule, or maybe it was Tala's presence, or just the feeling of being home inside the abbey. Whatever it was, he wasn't fighting it.  
  
He let his mind wander, the sound of the shower lulling his mind into peace. He was tired, too tired. He wanted to sleep.  
  
Vaguely, he was aware of the water turning off, and the silence it created, but he paid no mind. He kept his head buried in the pillow, hanging between sleep and reality.  
  
"Kai."  
  
Kai mumbled a response, turning his head away.   
  
Tala shook his head in amusement. The tables had turned, now it was Kai who didn't want to get up.  
  
"Kai. Get up." he said, discarding the idea of giving Kai a taste of his own medicine and pushing him out of the bed. He didn't want do that to Kai.  
  
Regretfully, Kai sat up, gazing at Tala with tired eyes. "I'm sleepy."  
  
Patting him on the head in amusement, Tala stood and walked towards the door. "That's all well and good, sleepy, but we should get going."  
  
Grumbling, Kai got up, stretching out his cramped muscles. "You want to have a battle?"  
  
"Maybe." Tala replied, grinning to himself. "But, it wouldn't be fair to horribly defeat you in your current state."  
  
"I'm not an invalid."  
  
"That's your opinion." He poked his head out the door, glancing down the hallway and up at the camera.  
  
He and Kai had timed this out perfectly. If they left at exactly the right moment, the camera wouldn't pick up on them, and they would be able to sneak by without anyone noticing they had come out of the same room. Counting to himself, Tala figured out the current position of the lens and looked back at Kai.   
  
"I'm going in 19 seconds. Catch up, ok?" Kai nodded in reply and Tala grinned, blowing him a kiss and looking back out the hall, before stepping out.  
  
As he left, Kai took up his position at the door, watching the camera and counting. This ritual was tiring and annoying, but necessary. They couldn't avoid to get caught.  
  
When the glass eye swung away from Tala's door once again, Kai stepped out, closing the heavy door behind him and heading off in the direction the scarlet haired boy had headed. The halls were practically deserted at this time, so it wasn't too hard to catch up. He fell into step beside Tala, and the other boy gave him just the barest glance to indicate that he knew he was there. They couldn't be too careful.  
  
Tala glanced at Kai from the corner of his eye, careful to keep his azure gaze forward. The silver haired boy was walking slightly behind him; the way he had been taught to act around his team captain. Tala smirked at the thought. One would have thought that Voltaire's grandson would be treated better.  
  
He mentally shook his head, pondering the irony of the thought.   
  
"Tala."  
  
"What?" he asked, somewhat coldly, and continued walking. He couldn't act too friendly with Kai out in the open. "What?" he repeated.  
  
No answer.  
  
Somewhat confused, he stopped walking and looked to his right, to where Kai had been walking just moments before. But now, the space was empty; Kai wasn't there. He frowned, feeling the slightly twitch of nervousness in his stomach.  
  
"Hiwatari?" he asked turning around to try and spot his missing friend. He looked down the hallway, back the way they had come, and froze.  
  
Kai was there, standing absolutely still. Behind him, Boris stood, with an arm around the boys neck and a small dagger pressed to the pale throat.  
  
"Boris!"  
  
"Yes Tala?"  
  
Tala's fists clenched at his sides. How had Boris managed to sneak up on them like that? He hadn't even heard the other man, and from the looks of things, neither had Kai. The boy's scarlet eyes flickered quickly, from Boris back to Tala, the slightest hint of fear visible.  
  
Tala swallowed hard, trying to rid himself of the lump of raw fear that had lodged itself in his throat. He didn't like how close Boris was standing to Kai. He didn't like the way Boris held him either; the older man seemed to be cradling the boy's frame, almost possessively.   
  
"Boris." Tala growled, his voice several octaves lower than normal. "Let him go."  
  
The older man smirked, his hand stroking the silver hair on Kai's head fondly. The boy shrunk away from the touch. "Now, now Tala. There's no reason to get upset. I wouldn't risk hurting him like this." his eyes darkened. "There are better times for that."  
  
Tala took a tentative step forward. He couldn't afford to act rashly now. One wrong move and Kai would get hurt.   
  
Kai's eyes looked down towards the knife at his throat. There was a small trickle of blood from where the man had pressed too hard before, but the blood slipped under his scarf and out of sight. He swallowed hard. This wasn't good. He didn't like Boris being so close; having him under his complete control.   
  
"Now Tala." Boris began, noticing that the boy was going to try and approach. "This will all be over very quickly, but first, I believe you have a decision to make."  
  
Tala's gaze hardened; he didn't believe a word the man said. "What decision?" he spat.  
  
"Didn't I say I would give you another opportunity to answer yes?"  
  
*looks at the clock and has a heart attack* Crap! I still have homework! Sorry, I have to cut this chapter short. I had a lot more planned too. T.T But, I have to read Lord of the Flies for English so…speaking of which, LOTF had given me an idea for a fic, but don't expect it anytime soon…  
  
Oh well, next chapter we'll get to see (or not quite see) the second appearance of the mystery person/people. ^.^ I'll bet you guys don't even remember this/there person/people were in the story. Sorta. ^.^  
  
Sorry for the crappy chap and late update. Review, and next chapter will be out on Wednesday. No delays. ^.^ 


	35. Falling apart

Alright, I've kicked my little sister out of the room, my father is upstairs, the mother is gone and the brother is on a business trip, so maybe I'll finally be able to concentrate and write a decent chapter.   
  
Oh, and someone guessed who the mystery person might be. I think many of you will be disappointed, it's not the Bladebreakers. They come in later. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 35  
  
Normal POV  
  
The air was heavy, that was something even Tala could notice. The atmosphere in the hallway was thick and weighed down with tension and nerves. Boris was somehow agitated, Kai was evidently nervous, as one would be with the blade of a knife against their throat, and Tala was just…  
  
Furious.  
  
How could he have let this happen? They were supposed to be trained well enough to notice when they were being approached; how did Boris gain the upper hand so quickly? Were they really slipping so badly in their training that they could no longer function at the level they were expected to? Maybe Boris had been right about emotions making them weak and blind. Maybe they had been too caught up in one another to notice the rest of the world around them.  
  
Either way it didn't matter much. The fact was, Boris had caught them off guard, and now they would have to deal with the consequences. They were stuck, with few options and a lot that could go wrong. One bad decision would lead them down an even worse path than the one they were currently on. This would require some careful thought.  
  
Tala took a few steps back. He didn't want Kai to think that he was abandoning him, but Boris was making Tala too nervous. The steel blade had already sliced the pale skin of Kai's neck, drawing bright red blood that seeped into his white scarf. Boris was evidently nervous. He didn't want Tala to get too close. Hurting Kai was necessarily something he wanted to do, but if things came to that…he would do what was required in the situation.   
  
Bright, questioning crimson eyes darted back and forth between Boris and Tala. Kai had heard what Boris had said, and his eyes asked the questions his voice didn't. What had the man meant? Something about a choice? Why did he have the feeling that there was something going on here that was beyond his understanding? His stomach clenched up. Not being able to fully understand what was going on around him caused a fear response. He was accustomed to always figure out his situation, but now he was in the dark.  
  
Boris tightened his grip around Kai's neck. The boy was up to something. he would never put it past Tala. The boy was extremely smart. Both of them were. They were almost cunning, and he didn't like it. It gave them too much of an advantage. They had been able to weasel themselves out of far too many bad situations; outsmarted one too many brilliant men. And worse, they worked even better together. Alone, they were each formidable, but when they worked together…  
  
He supposed he should be proud. After all, the boys had turned out practically perfect, just the way they had been planned. They were just a little too cunning, too manipulative. They knew how to work the world to their best advantage. If Kai and Tala were loyal to Biovolt, things would have been perfect, but Boris knew better. He had no delusions that the boys actually gave a damn and weren't just using the situation to their best advantage.  
  
"Tala." Boris started, his words slow and careful he had upper hand at the moment, but he knew full well that if he wasn't careful, if this didn't go exactly right, he would lose control. "I asked you a question before, and you gave me an answer. But, I promised I would give you a chance to change your mind, after you had some time to consider your options. So, I'm asking you, what do you want?"  
  
Tala stepped to the side slightly, careful to keep his gaze fixed directly on Boris and Kai. He knew this hallway, so there was no reason to look were he was going. "Boris, I am not in the mood to fool around. Let go of him, now."  
  
Kai's eyes locked with Tala's briefly, but even the short contact told him volumes. He had never seen his red haired friend like this before. There was so much malice in his azure eyes, so much hate and rage. Kai felt a small tingle of fear. Was this how the Bladebreakers had seen him when he was pushed too far? Did his eyes take on the same murderous light that Tala's held now?  
  
"Tala…" he began, but got no further. What could he possibly say? This wasn't the type of situation he could bluff about and get Tala to forget; and when Tala got like this, there was no reasoning with him. If had been hard to keep the boy away from Boris now, it would be nearly impossible now. The situation was out of his hands.  
  
"Be quiet." Boris hissed, his voice close to Kai's ear. He pressed the blade down harder, not even realizing; it was just a natural reaction. He couldn't control them psychologically, so he would have to settle for force. That was the entire purpose of the knife itself. If he wasn't putting Kai directly in harms way, Tala would have been on him along time ago. The only thing that separated them was a thin blade of steel. "Don't address him."  
  
A low growl escaped Tala's throat when he saw the blood running down Kai's neck. If that bastard didn't have the dagger, he would have killed him already; if Kai didn't do it first. There was no doubt that the silver haired boy would be ruthless if necessary; if his life was in danger. It was an instinct. There was no 'fight or flight' in their worlds. Only fight. Eat or be eaten, kill or be killed. Simple, savage and utterly horrific for them both to live through.   
  
"Tell me, Tala. You or him?"  
  
It didn't seem appropriate for Tala to burst into laughter right then, so he held back on the impulse. It was ridiculous. What kind of person did Boris take him for? Did he really underestimate him that badly? Were his expectations and predictions really that far off?  
  
"Boris." There was a slightly hysterical edge to Tala's voice; one would have thought he was close to a breakdown. Far from it. "I would never, and will never, allow you to lay a single hand on Kai. Whatever perverted plans you have running through that simple mind of yours, leave him out of it. Understand?" his eyes widened slightly, trying to drive in the point.  
  
Boris raised an eyebrow and felt Kai twitch slightly. It was a barely noticeable movement, but enough to tell Boris that the boy knew exactly what was going on. He had figured it out, as Boris suspected he would, quickly enough. After all, Kai was no fool. Far from it.  
  
"Tala, you jerk." Kai whispered, his voice low due to shock and astonishment. "Don't you dare. I'm not worth that."  
  
The azure-eyed boy didn't respond at once, so Kai wasn't positive if he had even heard his words. Tala, however, had heard him loud and clear. He shook his head, replying in an equally quiet voice. "You're wrong. You are worth far more than this to me." He took a few steps forward, approaching the two with more confidence, but still showing signs of trepidation. After all, Boris still had the upper hand.  
  
When Boris tensed up at the movement, Tala shook his head. "Why are you still holding him? Let go, and I won't even put a fight." There was a sadness in his voice now, and his eyes seemed to have lost some of their luster.  
  
Somewhat convinced that Tala was being truthful; Boris loosened his grip, but neglected to release Kai completely. Even if he had, it was doubtable that Kai would have moved. His scarlet eyes were wide, staring at Tala in apparent shock. He didn't seem able to comprehend this; he hadn't ever been put in a situation where someone had given up something for his own safety. Never. It had always been every man for himself. If you were in trouble or needed help, that was too bad. You were on your own; find a solution on your own. Being cared for and helped in such a way was a foreign concept. Something his mind couldn't wrap itself around right away.  
  
Tala walked closer, until he was face to face with Kai, his eyes closed, almost as though he were feeling some kind of pain. "Tala…"  
  
"Kai," his voice was soft that even Boris had trouble hearing it. It sounded almost as though he were breathing out the words. "I am so sorry."  
  
Kai opened his mouth, trying to find the words to respond with, when he was cut short by Tala's eyes flying open.  
  
Trying to ignore the look on his friends face, Tala pushed aside all of his thoughts and attempted to tap directly into his years of training. Other way, he would never be able to do this. Forgetting everything, he quickly buried his fist into Kai's stomach, looking away when he the look of pain and shock overcame Kai's features. Even Boris was taking off guard by the sudden action, and out of instinct, he let go of Kai, letting the boy double over and glare at Tala, his eyes full of hurt.  
  
"Why did you…"  
  
Tala's insides felt like they were being ripped apart. He couldn't comprehend what he had just done. With every moment that he looked at Kai's pained expression, the hurt he felt grew worse, until he could no longer take it. Lashing out, he quickly hit Kai in the temple, until the boy was rendered unconscious, and collapsed on the ground.  
  
It took quite a few seconds for Boris to find a way to react to the sudden change of events. Nothing was making sense. If Tala cared enough about his friend as to surrender himself for the others safety, than why did he attack him? Things weren't adding up.  
  
Carefully, Tala moved Kai to the wall and set him down gently. It seemed strange to be acting so caring after such actions, but then…  
  
'I'm sorry Kai. But I don't want you to have to see this. Please forgive me.'   
  
He stood and turned to face Boris, his dull eyes shimmering with angry tears. He couldn't ever remember feeling like this. His emotions were a cross between fury and desperate misery, a frustrated, helpless feeling. He wanted to cry, or scream, or rip his hair out. Something, anything, to help relieve the feeling. "I don't want him to have to see this." Tala said, his voice shaking with his unstable emotions. "You…made me hurt my best friend."  
  
"I never told you to attack him. You did that on your own." Rough hands gripped Tala's thin shoulder, holding him tightly. Closing his eyes, Tala tried to ignore the rough kisses being placed on his neck. His fists were clenched at his sides, shaking slightly with anger. His mind was a whirled wind of thoughts, half formed ideas and delusions that swarmed on his fragile mentality like a swarm of locusts.   
  
Bryan's words from days ago, the way Kai felt when they hugged, his talk with Yaremka, Boris, the look on Kai's face…  
  
The images flashed in his mind, and stray tears escaped from under his closed eyelids. Vaguely he was aware of his shirt being slipped off of his shoulders, but he could hardly tell. He's mind was in a state of distress, he was bordering on hysterical. Everything he had held bottle up inside was flaring up suddenly; he couldn't deal with it.  
  
"Why…"  
  
Boris paid no heed and continued his assault on Tala's exposed neck. He nipped the pale skin, causing small mark to form, but earned no reaction from his victim. Honestly, he didn't care. Tala could say whatever he wanted, just so long as he didn't try to resist.   
  
Tala was trembling now, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Why…why…" he whispered, hardly realizing he was speaking out loud now. He could hardly tell what Boris was doing and what was going on his mind anyway. All he knew was…Kai…  
  
His eyes opened suddenly, tears spilling out onto his cheek freely. "Why?! Why are you doing this to us!?" he cried, feeling himself losing control. Vaguely, he was aware of Boris lifting his head to look him in the eyes, and the reaction was instantaneous.   
  
All inhibitions gone, Tala struck out, catching Boris in the face with his fist and throwing the man off guard and causing him to stumble backwards. Tala was strong; his punches felt like bombs exploding in his head. Slightly dazed, he tried to regain control of his senses, but never had the chance.   
  
Tala had seen the look on Boris's face, and lost control. He no longer cared about what would happen, he just knew that he wanted the man dead, now. Without even thinking, he sprang forward, knocking the man to the group in a struggling heap.  
  
"You bastard! Why are you doing this to us?!" the world seemed to have gone silent for Tala. He couldn't hear anything except his yells and the sound of his hits connecting with Boris's body. If the man was saying anything, he didn't hear it. He couldn't control himself any more. It was automatic. "What did we do to deserve this?!"  
  
Boris stopped struggling, and suddenly it was as if a light had been turned on. Tala remembered who he was, what was happening. He fell backwards, breathing hard. He couldn't look at Boris; he refused to see what he had done. He couldn't face it. Frantically, his eyes darted around the hallway. There were cameras; someone had seen what had just happened. They would be coming soon.  
  
Panicked, he looked around, his eyes falling on Kai's unconscious form. Scrambling over to the boy, he quickly put him on his back, carrying him. "Come on Kai." He whispered. "We have to hide."  
  
He paused, looking around. They couldn't go back to his room or Kai's room; that would be too obvious. And they couldn't leave the abbey; Kai was in no condition, and besides, they weren't prepared for that yet. Leaving now would be a disaster.   
  
'Where? Where can we go, what can I do?'  
  
Finally, a decent length chapter. I wanted this chapter to go further, but it's late and I still have to read for English. ^.^;  
  
Anyway,  
  
Anime-05: You should write a beyblade fic. If you did, I would be sure to read it. ^.^ I say, go for it. ^.^ Thanks for the compliment!  
  
Dudems: Even our teacher says we should use cliffnotes…but only after we've actually read the assigned chapters. ^.^ Thanks for the tip  
  
Krixel: ^.^ Krixel-chan, you're going to give me a big head. But thank you very much! ^.^ I hope you get into the swing of high school life soon. Once you do, it'll be great. ^.^ I hope you update your stories soon, I can't wait to read them. ^.^  
  
-Everyone else: Please don't kill me! *hides* I know you don't want Boris to hurt them or to be left with cliff hangers, but…^.^;  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best. ^.^  
  
Anyway, please review, and the update will be on the weekend. Unless I get busy, in which case I will update NO LATER than Monday. ^.^ 


	36. Solution

Oi, I'm so tired. But, *points to the bottle of Pepsi deadly thinker gave her, which is hooked up to an IV line* Oh yes. Caffeine. ^.^   
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 36  
  
Normal POV  
  
Panic stricken eyes darted around the hallway, searching vainly for signs that someone was coming. Somebody had to have seen what happened. After all, the entire abbey was riddled with cameras, all for the sole purpose of monitoring the students, if they could be called that. Prisoners seemed more appropriate.   
  
Tala's azure eyes fell on Boris's still form, still lying on the ground. Blood was leaking from the man's mouth, in a steady trickle. His head was cocked to the side at a strange angle, and there were several large, dark bruises beginning to show on the skin. Shifting Kai's weight on his back, Tala tried to kneel down without falling. He needed to know, needed to see if the director was still alive. With a shaking hand, he reached out to try and touch the man's face. His fingers hovered, millimeters from the skin, before he finally pulled back, as though he were going to touch something hot. Cradling his arm to his chest, he stood up, tearing his eyes away.  
  
'Why do I care if he's dead?' he thought, his mind still in somewhat of a haze from the whirlwind of recent events. 'He tried to rape Kai. He deserves everything he got.'  
  
The thought of Kai made his throat go dry. He swallowed, but had a hard time working up any saliva. It felt like his throat had been rubbed with sandpaper. Nervously, he licked his lips. What would he do when Kai woke up? How could he explain himself to the boy? Kai wasn't an idiot, he would probably understand, but what about trust? Trust was always an issue for Kai, who spent a good deal of his life believing that everyone that tried to get close to him was only trying to hurt him in the end. It was a constant problem for him, something he had worked hard to overcome, with only marginal success.  
  
Turning his head, Tala tried to get a look at Kai's face. The boy was still unconscious, but instead of the peaceful expression that normally graced the boy's features when he was asleep, Kai looked pained. A certain pressure surfaced in Tala's chest.  
  
Guilt.  
  
He couldn't remember the last time he had truly felt bad for something he had done. There had been times when he knew the choices he had made had hurt others, but never had he felt any remorse. That wasn't a part of his nature, nor was it a part of his training. And again, it all came down to his training. It wasn't his instinct he had followed when he hit Kai; it was something else, something that he had to tap into, to ignore the wretched pain he felt when he saw himself hurting his friend. It was his programming, his conditioning.  
  
"Damnit."  
  
He closed his eyes, suddenly aware that he had spent far too much time standing around, lost in his thoughts. He should have been thinking of a place to hide. But no, he was too busy agonizing. He had let his heart take over when this was clearly a time for thought and planning. They would be coming soon, and there was no way he could expose a defenseless Kai to them. That would be suicide, especially, since Tala didn't plan on letting anyone even remotely close to his friend. Not when he was unable to defend himself like this. He would die before that happened.  
  
'Alright,' he thought, trying to calm his widely pounding heart and frayed nerves. He needed to be composed, or his judgment would be clouded. 'We can't go to my room or Kai's, that would be far too obvious. The roof is out of the question and so is leaving the abbey, not with Kai like this. So, then, where?'  
  
Still trembling faintly, he took off down the hallway at a quick walk. He had no idea of where to go, not yet at least, but he certainly wasn't going to stay there. The pressure of that location, and the sickening, coppery smell of blood, where starting to effect him. He needed to put some distance between himself, and what had just happened.  
  
A heavy, desperate feeling rose in Tala's chest. He was lost, unsure of what to do. He had screwed up, let the situation take the wrong path. If he had just submitted to Boris…   
  
Squeezing his eyes more tightly shut, he tried to block that thought out of his mind. No, it wouldn't have been ok. Things would never be ok, never again, no matter what course of action he had taken. Boris would still have his lustful, violent eyes on Kai, if he were even alive, and the man would still use the affection Tala had for the phoenix as blackmail. No, things would never be ok again.  
  
Even from the short encounter with Boris, Tala felt dirty. He could imagine how Kai had felt after what had happened to him before. How had he managed to keep that bottled up? Didn't it hurt him?  
  
'I'm sorry, Kai. I finally understand. I understand why you wouldn't tell me.' Involuntary tears began to squeeze from under his closed eyelids, and he broke into a run. He felt like the world had spun out of control, and he had no say about anything that was happening. It was a desperate feeling; something he wasn't used to, and something he didn't know how to deal with. He needed help.  
  
But from where? He didn't have many people to turn to for help in his life. Kai, of course was one, but Kai was incapacitated, unable to help. Yaremka was another, but how was Tala supposed to get in contact with him? The boy was out of the question. Some deep, buried instinct in him wanted to say his parents, his mother and father, but he didn't have any. Or if he did, he didn't remember them. He didn't even have something remotely close to a mother-figure or a…  
  
"A father- figure?" his voice was thick, half choked by the wave of unfamiliar emotions. He could feel an idea, tugging at the corner of his mind, but he couldn't grasp it. He was starting to feel tired. The emotional wear was starting to add up with the physical strain of carrying Kai as he ran. The boy wasn't very heavy, but nonetheless…  
  
His pace slowly, his breathing labored. 'I don't have anyone like that…' he looked over his shoulder at Kai, who still hadn't stirred. "Kai." He gasped. "What can I do?"  
  
Sapphire eyes closed, and then suddenly snapped open, as he finally grasped the thought that had been dancing on the edges of his mind. 'Someone I looked up to…someone we looked up to…Igor!'  
  
The faintest hints of a smile crept at the corners of his mouth. That was it. The man was long gone, but still, he could help…maybe.  
  
Leaning close to Kai's face, Tala whispered to him, although he knew that they boy wasn't likely able to hear him. "Kai, let's go visit the memory of our old friend." His mind made up, Tala glanced around, gaining his bearings at the there location, and choosing a direction.   
  
'Igor's gone, but, maybe he can still help. His room is the same as he left it, it's been that way every since he died. No one ever cared to clean it out. They may not think to look there.'  
  
Still vaguely aware that the cameras were watching them, Tala ran, until he reached the closed door of his deceased friend's room, his mind praying for two things. 'Please, let the door be unlocked, and let the cameras not pick up on us going in there.'  
  
Reaching out, he laid a shaking hand on the doorknob, hesitating as he took a deep breath to calm himself, before pushing the door. To his great relief, the door swung up, and he stepped inside, quickly, shutting the door without a sound.   
  
The room was dark, but Tala didn't dare turn on the lights, for fear that somehow how, that would lead them to the hiding place. He could make out the lumpy shape of a bed against one wall, even in the gloom. So he carefully walked over, stumbling several times on various objects that scattered the floor. Obviously, Igor hadn't been the neatest person in the world. He felt the bed carefully before laying Kai down gently, not wanting to put the boy on top of anything sharp. After trying to make the boy as comfortable as possible, he looked around, trying to make sense of things in the gloom.  
  
The room felt like an entirely different world right then, as if he had somehow stepped into a dream, or nightmare. It wasn't a particularly large place, and with the bed, and the desk that stood against the opposite wall, it seemed even smaller. The floor was covered in papers, all yellowed and torn from being trodden over, as well as various other possessions. Some clothes, stray knickknacks, garbage.   
  
Tala glanced down at Kai; fondly brushing stray bangs away from the boys face. He was feeling slightly calmer now, but not by much. He was still stressed, but at least they were out of sight of the glass eyes. Tearing his eyes away, he tried to make his way towards the desk, careful not to step on anything. It might be awhile before Kai woke up, and somewhere, deep down, Tala felt he needed to look at the remains of Igor's life.  
  
The desk was like a miniature version of the room, covered with junk, disorganized, and dirty. Nonetheless, Tala stood next to it, pushing papers aside and occasionally picking one up to look it over. There wasn't anything interesting, not that he could see, so he started to turn away, when something near his foot caught his eye. Bending down, he picked it up, and as he did, several small shards of the glass fell to the floor. He turned the object over, squinting to see what it was in the gloom.  
  
He picked a few more pieces of shattered glass away, suddenly realizing that he was looking at a picture frame. Walking over to the bed, he sat next to Kai, examining the frame. The picture had long since been removed, but there was still something there.  
  
Frowning, Tala picked at the edges, trying to pry it out without cutting his fingers. A corner of it came up, and he was able to pull the rest out, so he tossed aside the frame.  
  
'Another paper?' he thought, as he unfolding the crumbling sheet carefully. 'I wonder why he hide it in here?'  
  
His sapphire eyes scanned it quickly, his expression quickly becoming confused. "What…what is this?"  
  
So, there you go. The so-called "mystery person" has appeared…sorta. I mean, he's dead, he can't really appear again, but you know….ok, enough rambling. (Too much caffeine) Anyway, sorry that it wasn't the Bladebreakers, but they will come later.   
  
And, sorry this is a short chapter, but I wanted to end it here, so next chapter… x.x Can't say. ^.^  
  
Please leave me a review, tell me what you think, and I'll update Wednesday. ^.^ And a very special thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm so honored. You guys are the best. ^.^ *hands out goldfish crackers and cupcakes with 'Tala' or 'Kai' written in icing to everyone* Ja ne! 


	37. Coming to

^.^ I'm glad you all seemed happy with Igor coming back into the picture. There are only a few things in the story that, no matter how small, don't play some importance later on. ^.^ Anyway, short chappie today. Sorry, but I'm pretty tired. Weekend update will be longer. Anyway, enjoy!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 37  
  
Normal POV  
  
"What…what is this?"  
  
A frown creased his brow, as he frowned down at the worn, slightly torn paper in his hands. He had never seen this paper before, but it must have been important to Igor, being as it was hidden. Important enough, at least, that he felt the need to keep it very safe.  
  
Tala turned the paper over. The paper was covered in lines; a think black one around the edges that formed a large boxy shape, with thinner lines, running parallel and close together inside, crossing the thicker line at one point. He looked at it, puzzled, trying to decipher what it could possibly be. He turned it over, looking for writing on the other side that might explain the paper's meaning.  
  
"I wonder…why did he hide it in there?" he mumbled under his breath, not daring to raise his voice. He couldn't be sure if there was anyone outside the door, searching for the two missing boys. After all, they knew that Tala and Kai had to be somewhere in the abbey.  
  
A stirring sound attracted his attention. Peering through the gloom, he looked towards the bed, his eyes barley making out the shadowy figure lying there. Stuffing the paper into his pocket and resolving to look at it closer later, he walked quickly to the bed, making as little noise as possible and being careful to avoid the clutter on the floor.  
  
He stepped up the bed, peering down at Kai's still form. His eyelids were fluttering slightly, indicating he was slowly waking up. Carefully, Tala perched on the edge of the bed, feeling the knot of worry in his stomach return and grow larger. How could he explain himself and his actions to Kai? Would the boy even listen? There was a definite stubborn streak running through Kai, and Tala knew very well that his trust was hard to gain, and easy to lose. It was delicate balance.  
  
Nervously, he cracked his knuckles. It had been a habit of his years ago, whenever the stress was getting to be too much, but he couldn't recall haven't done it in a long time. It just went to show; his fear of losing Kai's fragile trust was extreme.   
  
Slowly, as he watched with an eager, slightly nervous expression, Kai's scarlet eyes fluttered open. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, before closing them again, and bringing a hand up to his head, as though he were in pain. Tala watched him, licking his dry lips. He hadn't even thought about how hard he had actually hit the boy. it took a lot of force to render the boy unconscious, Tala knew this having seen many abbey guards try, and fail, to subdue the boy. Many, many times, they had been reduced to using drugs, and even then, they needed so many that Kai would often be out for days afterwards.   
  
All part of the past.  
  
"Kai?" Tala whispered, hoping that Kai would respond, and not ignore him. Slowly, Kai turned his head, looking at Tala with confused eyes, his face pained.   
  
"Wha…. Tala?" Kai started, his voice thick and low. He seemed groggy, not quite awake, as if he weren't all there yet. It would still take sometime for him to get his thoughts back from where Tala had jarred them loose.  
  
A small sigh of relief escaped Tala's lips, though he knew he shouldn't relax just yet. After all, Kai hadn't had much time to react yet. For all he knew, the phoenix was getting ready to hit him back in repayment. "Just relax Kai."  
  
Kai winced at the words. Boris had said the same thing when…  
  
Boris…  
  
He shot up in bed, immediately regretting it as pain stabbed through his skull. He clutched at his hair, suddenly remembering what had lead them up to here…or at least…some of what…  
  
"Tala," he gasped, looking at his friend with wide eyes. "You… Boris… he didn't…."  
  
Tala flinched with the sudden recognition of the look it Kai's wide, scarlet eyes. It was concern, and true fear. It unnerved Tala just a bit; Kai never looked like that. So scared, so lost…  
  
Impulsively, he wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, pulling his into a close embrace. Kai closed his eyes, suddenly fearing the worst from Tala's actions. Why wouldn't the red head say anything? But then, did he really want to hear him say… no. That couldn't happen. Not for his sake.  
  
"Tala…"  
  
"Fancy…" Tala cut his words off quickly, his voice muffled against Kai's shoulder. "Fancy thinking that Kai would ever care about anyone else." His voice trembled slightly, and he raised sad eyes as Kai abruptly pulled away.   
  
Crimson eyes stared at him, burning holes into him with their heat. Kai wore a peculiar expression; something somewhere between rage and hurt. There were strange emotions running through him, emotions he could barely recognize or know how to deal with.  
  
"Tala…how could you…" he started. Tala cast his azure eyes downward, avoiding the other boy's gaze. Kai had obviously just remembered that Tala had hit him. He clenched his fists to stop them from trembling.   
  
Gentle hands carefully grasped Tala's chin, forcing him to look upward, mere seconds before he was dealt a sharp slap across the face.   
  
"You bastard! What the hell were you thinking?!" Kai's voice was shaky, half from anger and half from hysterics. "Why would you do something like that?! And for me of all people?!"  
  
Stunned, his cheek stinging, Tala looked up, blinking confused eyes at Kai. "Kai…"  
  
Kai lowered his head, trying to hide the small streams of tears that flowed down his cheeks. "Why did…I'm not worth that."  
  
Suddenly, Tala felt himself at a loss for words. This wasn't what he had been expecting. "Kai…I…"  
  
"You're an idiot. I would have rather died, than let him lay his hands on you."  
  
Unsure of how to behave, due to sheer lack of experience with situations like this, Tala acted on his instincts. Reaching out, he lifted Kai's chin, watching as the boy flinched, subconsciously expecting Tala it slap him the same way he had done before. Kai's eyes were shimmering with tears, but he seemed to be trying to hold them back, by directing his gaze anywhere but with Tala.  
  
"Kai." He whispered, and the scarlet eyes shifted towards him. "I already told you. You are worth far more than that to me." He brushed a stray tear away from Kai's face gently. He locked his gaze with that of the distraught boy, looking at him very seriously and directly. "He didn't touch me."  
  
Kai blinked away tears. Tala certainly looked like he was telling the truth…  
  
"I promise you. Boris didn't lay a hand on me. But…" he grasped the sides of Kai's face gently, rubbing the boy's wet cheek with his thumb. "I need to know the truth…about what he did to you."  
  
*Hides from people trying to kill her because of the cliffy* I'm sorry! I know this chapter really sucked, but the motivation to write was kind of overpowered by tiredness.   
  
Anyway, the description of that paper wasn't very good, and Tala and Kai won't find out what it is until much later anyway. But it is important. Very important as you shall see…  
  
Good night everyone. Please leave me a review, and I'll make the weekend nice and long…with some nice Tala/Kai moments. ^.^ 


	38. Answers

Okie dokie! One thing before we start;  
  
Krixel: *huggles the Tala and Kai dolls* Thankies! ^.^ Plushies make me happy.  
  
Thank you to everyone for the reviews! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 38  
  
Normal POV  
  
Kai remained silent. He knew Tala was awaiting a response, but how could he answer that question. There was no way he could lie to his friend again, not after what the Wolf had done for him. To do any less than tell the truth would be a betrayal of everything he had done.  
  
He looked away, not meeting Tala's gaze. Even in the dark, he could feel the blue eyes on him. Somehow, telling the truth was harder if he had to look his friend in the eyes. If he had to come clean, he would do it his way.  
  
Crimson eyes slid close, and he took a deep breath. "Tala…"  
  
"Wait." Tala told him. Carefully, he slid onto the bed, moving to sit behind Kai. Pulling the boy into his lap, he put his arms around the narrow shoulders and rested his head on his. He wanted to be holding on to Kai when he heard this. After all, he already knew what the boy was going to say, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy. "Go ahead."  
  
Kai took another deep breath. Somehow, all these distractions weren't making things any easier. Suddenly, he just wanted to get it over with. Everything he had been holding inside was suddenly bursting to get out.   
  
"I lied to you." He blurted suddenly. "I'm sorry." He turned his head further away.   
  
Tala tightened his grip. His throat felt dry. He hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to hear it directly from his friend. He swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat. "It's ok." he whispered. "Please, go on."  
  
Kai licked his dry lips before continuing. "I let my guard down, and he tricked me. He came up behind me and…." He paused, his voice shaky and uneven. "He caught me off guard and forced me to the ground. He pinned me down and…"  
  
He fell silent, very grateful that his back was to Tala, and his friend couldn't see the tears running down his face. He thought that once he started talking, everything would be easier, but it wasn't. The words wouldn't come out; it was as if a roadblock had been set up. Try as he might, he couldn't continue.  
  
Closing his eyes, Tala hugged Kai harder. Tears of his own were running down his pale cheeks. He could hear the pain in Kai's voice, and suddenly wished he hadn't forced his friend to relive the incident. He knew it would be hard, but he hadn't thought….  
  
"It's ok." He said, stroking the soft silver hair. "It's alright. You can tell me."  
  
"I…I can't."  
  
Beneath his hands, Tala could feel the slender frame trembling. He felt helpless, unable to help calm the distraught boy. What could he possibly say to help make his any easier?   
  
"Kai," he started slowly. This was for the best. Kai had to get this out, and he had to get this out now, before it festered and ate him alive. "Did Boris…rape you?"  
  
"N-no." Kai replied. He stifled a sob. He felt ashamed of acting this way, but he couldn't help it. Trying to find something to distract him from the situation, He looked around the dark room. Crimson eyes drifted over the cluttered desk, the messy floor, and the dark walls.  
  
Tala relaxed about a fraction. Leaning his head on Kai's, he whispered, "It's ok." His eyes flickered towards the door. So far, no one had found them, but there was no guarantee that things would stay like that. "What did he do?"  
  
No answer. Kai had lost the will to speak. Leaning back, he rested his head on Tala's chest.  
  
"Was it…oral?"  
  
Again, Kai gave no answer, but from the way his body tensed, Tala knew he had struck a nerve. He closed his eyes. Obviously, Boris had been telling the truth when he threatened Tala with Kai's safety. Reaching out, he gently grasped Kai's face and forced the boy to look at him.  
  
Scarlet eyes were shimmering with tears, and from the look on Kai's face, he was ashamed of showing such a weakness. He directed his gaze away from Tala's azure eyes. His friend was hurting, and it was all his fault. If he hadn't let his guard down when Boris had been there…nothing would have happened. It was his own fault.  
  
"Tala, I'm sorry." He whispered, burying his face into his friend's chest. "It's my fault. I lied to you, and it's because of me that Boris almost…"  
  
"No." Tala interrupted. He rubbed his friend's back, trying to sooth him. "It isn't your fault. You shouldn't be feeling guilty." He looked down at the silver hair shining in the dark. "I just wish you had told me, maybe I could have helped you."  
  
Kai raised his head just slightly, but other than that, gave no response that he had even heard Tala's words.   
  
"Kai, you mean more to me than you could ever realize. I want you to be safe, and I want you to be happy. Please, just be honest with me, I know I can help you." Leaning down, he planted a light kiss on Kai's ahead and the boy looked up.  
  
He blinked confused, scarlet eyes. "Tala…"  
  
Tala forced a small smile, trying to give some reassurance. "I'm not mad at you, I couldn't be. And I swear," he gently stroked Kai's tear stained cheek. "I will never let Boris lay a single finger on you again. I promise."  
  
A small smile crept across Kai's face. He felt better, hearing Tala vow to protect him like that, but he could shake he feeling of worry that still dwelled in his stomach. What if they found themselves in another situation like the one before? Could he really allow Tala to put himself in danger like that again? No. Not a chance. Kai would kill Boris with his bare hands before that happened.  
  
He sat p, trying to hide the mix of emotions that played on his face. Inside, he could still feel the turmoil, but the last thing he wanted to do was make his friend worry more. Tala had enough on is mind, without having to worry about Kai.  
  
"Thanks Tala." He wiped away the tears that still lingered on his cheeks, embarrassed at his show of emotions. But then, he didn't mind being honest with Tala. Deep down, it really felt all right. But still, he did want to dwell on the topic any more, so he directed his gaze around the dark room. He still didn't recognize his surroundings. At first he had thought that when his head, cleared, he would know where they were, but he still had no clue.  
  
"Tala?" he asked. "Where are we?"  
  
Tala almost burst out laughing. With everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten that Kai probably had no clue where they were. He had been unconscious after all when they first came, and neither of the boys had ever been inside the room before, so it was unrecognizable.  
  
"Sorry Kai." He said, patting the top of the boy's head. "I forgot to tell you. We're in Igor's room."  
  
The scarlet eyes widened almost comically. Of all the places in the abbey, Igor's room had to be the last he would have expected. How had Tala even thought about coming here in the first place? "We're in Igor's room?"  
  
Tala nodded. "Yeah. It would have been to obvious if we went back to one of our rooms, and I couldn't think of any other place." He blinked, wondering. "Is that a problem?"  
  
"No." Kai smiled. "I just wasn't expecting that." He looked around, seeing the room with new eyes. This was the place where their friend had lived before his death. Suddenly, the room looked different, and a little more inviting.  
  
"I would have liked to get out of the abbey all together," Tala explained. "But the time wasn't right."  
  
Kai chuckled and looked at Tala. "The time will never be right." He said. As much as he wanted to get out, he couldn't figure out a way to get past security. Things were just too tight. And even if they got out of the abbey, what could they do then?  
  
"Yes it will." Tala insisted. He truly believed it too. "I just can't promise it'll be in time for your birthday."  
  
Kai shook his head and sighed, relieved that the atmosphere had become a little lighter. "I thought I told you not to get me anything for my birthday."  
  
"Did I say I did?" Tala answered amused. He laughed, and Kai gave him a look.  
  
"You're up to something."  
  
Tala started to reply, when suddenly an idea struck him. It was obvious. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out the folded paper he had found, and handed it to Kai. As the silver haired boy looked it over, Tala explained.  
  
"I found that hidden in a picture frame." He said, and Kai frowned. "I can't figure out what it is. Do you have any idea?"  
  
Kai turned the paper over, trying to look at the lines from different angles. It was certainly odd; he hadn't seen anything like it before. And yet… "I don't know what it is…but somehow it looks familiar."  
  
"Did Igor ever show it to you?"  
  
Kai shook his head and handed it back to Tala, who folded it and put it away.  
  
"No, he didn't. But I think you should hold to it. You never know when it might become important."  
  
Tala nodded, resolving to find a good place to hide it when he finally got back to his room.  
  
Well, this chapter was a little longer than last time. ^.^; I'm actually not really happy with how it turned out, but oh well.  
  
So, Kai doesn't know what the paper is either. Does anybody have any ideas? ^.^ Hehe! I know what it is, but I'm not telling! ^.^  
  
Anyway, please leave me a review, and the next update will come on Wednesday! 


	39. Moving on

*Drags herself into the room* I'm sorry guys, but this will be a short chapter. I'm absolutely exhausted, but the Wednesday update must come!  
  
The good news is this; Kai's birthday will come up within the next few chapters, and then…the craps going to hit the fan and all hell is going to break loose.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 39  
  
Normal POV  
  
Carefully, as though his slightest movements would trigger an alarm, Tala pressed his ear up against the splintered wood door. His acute sense we fixed on the corridor outside, listening for any signs of life from beyond the door. They had been hiding for several hours, which, in Tala's mind, was far too long. After all, they couldn't stay in there forever, so why should they even kid themselves? The time had come, to either face the consequences, or let the events go unnoticed.   
  
With his ears registering no noise from the hallway, Tala glanced back at Kai, who remained sitting on the bed, his demeanor, even though his eyes glittered with something Tala could only guess was excitement or anxiousness. Maybe the thrill of going out again and risking being caught was exciting to him, Tala wouldn't be surprised by that, Kai always was a little strange, but maybe he was just nervous. Tala certainly was. After all, it wasn't everyday that he attacked the abbey director and went into hiding for it.  
  
Raising a hand, Tala motioned soundlessly for Kai to join him at the door. Rising from the bed, Kai walked slowly over, moving to stand beside Tala. He too pressed his ear to the door, listening and responded with a shake of his head, indicating that he had also heard nothing. Satisfied, Tala decided that the time would be now that they left. There was no way to know the pattern of the camera movements in this hallway, since every place in the abbey was different (one of Boris's so called "clever" ideas) and neither Kai nor Tala had the presence of mind, or the patience, to sit and work one out.  
  
Nodding quickly to each other, the pushed open the door, stepping cautiously outside, as though stepping into a dangerous terrain. Neither was worried about being seen leaving together, since they knew they were in trouble already. Their mentality had taken on an air of, "well, we're fucked already, why not?", although neither seemed to be fully aware of it.  
  
After checking quickly to be sure that the paper was tucked safely away and hidden, they started down the hallway, a moody silence enveloping them. The past few hours had been mentally exhausting, as they waited and worried about being found, and Kai's confession had taken a lot of him too. He looked worn out, beaten down; Tala didn't blame him. In fact, he often wondered how they both made it through life without having breakdowns. Perhaps it was fear that kept them from falling apart. Many times in their childhood, they had seen fellow trainees collapse under the pressure…and promptly disappear the next night. No questions asked.  
  
They reached Tala's room without encountering anyone on the way, and completely disregarded the cameras as they went inside. The time for subtlety had long since past. With the door tightly shut behind them, they wandered inside, and Kai immediately headed towards the bed and collapsed, evidently taking some comfort in the familiar environment. Smiling slightly at the action, Tala headed towards the bathroom to run cold water over his face. It was amazing how sitting and talking could wear some one out so much.  
  
As the cool water ran down his cheeks, Tala glanced in the mirror, looking back into the room at Kai's still form. He had checked the boy over injuries in Igor's room, wincing noticeably when he saw the bruise he had left on Kai's abdomen, but other than that, the boy had seemed uninjured, and yet he was still worried. He was concerned that the recent and events and subsequent confession may have caused Kai to become depressed; in which case, Tala would have to keep a very close eye on his friend. He would not risk losing Kai to himself.  
  
Drying his face on his sleeve, Tala walked back into the bedroom and went to the dresser to hide the paper away. It wasn't the most inspired hiding place, in a dresser drawer, but it was the best he could do at the moment. A little later on, with a little more thought, he would find a better place. When he was confident that the paper was secure, he walked to the bed and sat down gently next to Kai, who lay motionless, his eyes closed.   
  
Gently, he reached out and stroked Kai's hair, causing the scarlet eyes to flutter open. The phoenix blinked slowly, coming to his surroundings, and locked his gaze with Tala's.   
  
"Hey." Tala said softly, running his fingers through the silky silver hair. "How are you feeling?"  
  
Kai shrugged. "I'm not sick, Tala." He sighed. "Just tired." Still, he made no move to sit up, and remained as he was, with Tala gently petting him.  
  
Not fully satisfied with the 'just tired' response, but deciding not to challenge it, Tala nodded. Arguing would get them nowhere, and after all, he ha used that excuse many, many times himself. It was standard when something wasn't really ok. Nothing was ever wrong, you were just tired.  
  
"Do you want to go eat with the others?" Tala questioned, making note of the time and for the first time noticing the pangs of hunger he had been ignoring.  
  
Kai shrugged and finally sat up. He really didn't care either way, but he was starting to feel hungry. Maybe some caffeine would shake off the daze. "Sure." He mumbled.  
  
Tala reached out a hand to help him stand from the bed, and although Kai needed no assistance, took it anyway. There was something very comforting in the small contact, and suddenly, Kai wished that Tala would hug him, or hold him like he had back in Igor's room. If situation hadn't been so painful for Kai, he might have really enjoyed it. His mind had been too preoccupied then, but now he longed for it.  
  
Unaware of Kai's feelings, Tala dropped his hand, albeit reluctantly, and headed towards the door. His hand on the knob, he looked back at Kai.  
  
"Forget worrying about the cameras. At this moment, they don't matter."  
  
Kai nodded, fully in agreement. The cameras weren't the problem right then. They had bigger fish to fry, as the saying goes. The real problems would come when Boris caught up with them.  
  
Boris was a constant concern for them now. The fears that had always lurked in the back of their minds had suddenly gained in priority and importance, and jumped to the front of their thoughts. Things were not going to be pretty when Boris decided to come back for them. They could only hope that they would be more prepared this time. Both boys refused to let their guards down so badly again. It was a lesson learned.  
  
Out in the hallways, they were vaguely aware of the whirring of the cameras as hey watched the boys move about the abbey, but disregarded them. They were glass eyes, nothing more. And Tala could almost be certain that at one point he had seen Kai flip one of the off.  
  
"Isn't it amazing, that the cameras had become a living consciousness in our lives?" Kai whispered into Tala's ear as the two reached the kitchen.  
  
Tala looked at him, surprised. "What?"  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
Shrugging it off as one of Kai's deep and slightly oddball comments, Tala tucked it into the back of his mind, mentally filing it as a 'Kai-ism'. He seriously doubted whether he would ever fully understand his friend. The boy was just too multifaceted.  
  
They stepped into the room, catching the attention of their teammates, who had also gathered. Ian gave them a slightly warm, and yet questioning look, Spencer gave a deadpan stare, acknowledging their presence but giving no opinion.  
  
And from Bryan?  
  
A particularly angry glare, directed at Kai…  
  
  
  
…Dear me. Can you tell this chapter was written while I was half-asleep? I don't even have any idea what it was about. Good lord, what was I thinking? Oh well.  
  
Sorry about the short chapter…again…Hmmm… I predict fireworks…  
  
Anyway, please leave me a review, and I'll update this weekend! ^.^ 


	40. Questions

Rejoice! This chapter holds the unexpected return of the (apparently) loveable Yaremka, as well as a brief appearance by the easily angered Dimitri. ^. ^ I wasn't planning on having them come back yet, but then I had an idea…  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 40  
  
Normal POV  
  
Tala glanced around the small kitchen, his face giving away none of his thoughts or emotions. It wasn't as if he had expecting a warm welcome from his teammates, but still, something seemed a little off. The atmosphere wasn't angered or tense, except for around Bryan, but held more of a feel of…barely contained jubilation.  
  
Something was up.   
  
He narrowed his sapphire eyes, glaring at each of his teammates in turn, as he and Kai took their seats at the table. The Phoenix too looked slightly bothered, but Tala couldn't know if that was because he sensed something as well, or if it was just because he was forced to sit next the aforementioned cyclone of rage named Bryan.   
  
Sighing to himself, Tala folding his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, his expression serious and slightly annoyed. He had been through a lot in the past 12 hours; the last thing he needed was the entire abbey to start acting weird. He simply didn't have the patience or the energy to deal with that.  
  
"All right" he said finally, opening his eyes. Enough was enough; it was time to get to the bottom of things. "What's going on?"  
  
"You did hear?"  
  
Both Tala and Kai turned their heads to look at Ian as the shorter blader spoke. "We didn't hear what?"  
  
Ian raised his hands helplessly and shook his head. "All the little ones are talking about it."  
  
Tala drummed his fingers on the table in annoyance. Why was it nearly impossible to get information out of his team these days? Briefly, he considering leaving to go and find one of the little ones and ask them, seeing as he'd probably get a faster answer that way. But then, he couldn't exactly blame them for dancing around the issue. Being a loud mouth was the quickest way to find yourself dead.  
  
"Just tell us." Tala growled, earning looks of surprise from Kai. It had been a long time since the silver haired boy had seen the front Tala had to put up while in public. He had almost forgotten how things changed when they weren't behind closed doors and out of the glass eyes' sight.  
  
Somewhat expecting that reaction, Ian looked around at his teammates, trying to decide whether or not he should be the one to break the news to their team captain. Spencer had a far off look in his eyes, signaling that he really didn't care what was going on, and Bryan was still too busy giving Kai a look that would have killed a lesser man. Not that Kai took any notice. So the job was left to Ian. Small eyes darted back and forth, not able to decide who he should look at. Tala was team captain, but Kai was…well…  
  
"Boris was taken out of here on a stretcher." He blurted, expecting Tala or Kai to have some type of violent or extreme reaction, but their faces remained as stoic as ever.  
  
Inwardly, Kai was a little surprised. Tala had knocked him unconscious before going after the director himself, so the boy had never seen the damage. But if he judged solely on the fact that Boris needed to be removed from the abbey for treatment, he could guess that it was pretty bad. After all, the abbey had topnotch doctors.  
  
A small shiver passed down his spine. Had Tala really done that all for him? Had he really gone and put the man in the hospital just to keep him safe? Kai couldn't help but feel a tremble of pride. Tala had done that for him.  
  
Tala nodded, understanding why the team's jubilation was being suppressed. Being as the glass eyes were still watching them, they had to keep their joy in check. A show of emotions would not only get them punished, but also raise suspicion. No one wanted to have the finger pointed at them and be declared a traitor. Trust wasn't exactly a trait that the abbey residents shared. Everyone was willing to backstab someone else to get ahead.   
  
"Any idea what happened?" he asked, although he knew he wouldn't get an answer. Or at least, not an accurate one. Not even Kai knew exactly what had happened, and he had been there. He didn't want to show too much concern, but he also didn't want to look like he knew too much already. It was a very fine line that he had to walk.  
  
No one could give him an answer, so he glanced at Kai and shrugged. At least they had some time to relax before Boris came back. The minute the man came back would be when the trouble started. Now they had some time to prepare. Physically and mentally.  
  
The room lapsed into silence again, but only briefly, before Bryan broke it, by slamming his hands down on the table and getting it his feet. Tala glanced up at him, his blue eyes uninterested.   
  
  
  
"What's your problem?"  
  
***********  
  
"Heavy bruising on the chest and abdomen, numerous contusions and lacerations, fractured ribs, punctured lung, possible concussion." The doctor hesitated looking down at the still figure on the bed in front of him, wondering if he had missed anything. Satisfied that he had covered it, he handed the chart to the waiting nurse and walked around the side of the bed. "They brought him a few hours ago, unconscious and unresponsive. We ran a few tests, everything seems in order." Lifting a limp wrist, he fell silent for a few moments as he checked the pulse rate.   
  
"Change the bandages if you need to, and keep an idea on him, make sure he doesn't start seizing." He continued, and the nurse nodded. "Let me know when he wakes up."  
  
"Any identification?" the nurse asked, making a note on the chart.  
  
"No, but he was brought it from Balcov Abbey."  
  
The nurses' eyes widened slightly. "The Abbey?"  
  
************  
  
"That bitch! If I ever find her…"  
  
Yaremka rolled his eyes and blocked out the rest of the angry tirade. Dimitri had been yelling similar threats for nearly an hour now. A bit of carelessness on his sisters part had landed her in a fight, which had ended with Dimitri receiving several deep gashes from a knife, and ultimately, being dragged to the hospital to be patched up.  
  
"…Idiot."  
  
Dimitri shot up in her bed, glaring at her older brother with a lock to kill with. "Shut the hell up! Like it was my fault! That bitch is going to pay for pulling a knife on me!"  
  
"Calm down, Dimi."  
  
She whipped her head around, and looked at the girl standing at her bedside. "Are you going to give me a hard time too, Anna?"  
  
Anna just smiled and patted her on the head sympathetically. "Poor baby. Want me to kiss them better?"  
  
"Sure." Dimitri mumbled, crossing her arms and sinking down in her bed to pout. Yaremka shook his head. This was getting tiresome.  
  
Slowly, he headed towards the door. It was bad enough he had to literally drag his sister to the hospital; he couldn't be expected to put up with her ranting too. Although, Anna had succeeded in making Dimitri shut up.  
  
"Yaremka." Anna called. "Where are you going? You aren't going to leave Dimi alone are you?"  
  
"Some big brother you are!"  
  
Sighing to himself and stepping aside as a doctor came rushing into the room, Yaremka ignored the angry comment. "I'm going…to find something…to eat. Do…you want me…to bring something…back?"  
  
Holding out an arm and cooperating as the doctor cleaned her wounds, Dimitri yelled back at him. "Exactly how long do you think I'm going to be here, Yaremka!?"  
  
"Dimi…"  
  
Yaremka shook his hand dismissively. "Forget…it. Behave for…the doctor."  
  
He slipped out of the room before Dimitri could reply, and quietly closed the door behind him. The girl was too reckless; she got into too much trouble. True, it wasn't all her fault, but still…  
  
He hung his head and wandered the clean hospital hallways in silence. His mind was elsewhere, focused on other things.  
  
"He's pretty beaten up."  
  
"I heard they brought him from the Balcov Abbey."  
  
Yaremka stopped walking, catching only snippets of a conversation from the nurses' station he had just passed, did they say Balcov Abbey?  
  
His heart jumped into his throat, mind going a mile a minute.   
  
'It couldn't be Tala, could it?' He thought, remembering his conversation with the Wolf from only a few days ago. Had something happened? A sick feeling rose up in his stomach. 'If that man hurt Tala, I swear I'll kill him myself."  
  
Clenching his fists, he walked back towards the nurses' station, trying to mask his anger. "Excuse me…"  
  
The nurses halted their conversation and looked him over. "Yes?"  
  
"The patient from…Balcov abbey. Where…is he?"  
  
The women hesitated, not too certain they should tell the boy. But then, it really couldn't do any harm, and the boy did look a little worried. "Two doors to your right."  
  
Yaremka thanked them and rushed off. He had to know if the person that had been brought it was Tala or not. If something had happened, and it was Tala laying in the bed…  
  
Reaching the door, he hesitated, not sure he wanted to push it open and face what was inside. If it was Tala, how could he face that? His hand trembled slightly as he pushed the door open, and peered inside.  
  
The room was too dark for Yaremka to see the occupant's face, but even so, he could tell that the figure in the bed was too big to be Tala. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yaremka stepped inside fully. He honestly didn't know how he would react if it had been Tala lying there, beaten and bandaged. He didn't really know if he could handle that.  
  
As he took another deep breath to calm his rattled nerves, a doctor and nurse swept in, looking over the patient's charts.  
  
"There aren't any changes, but I want to keep him here for observation. No matter what, don't release him before tomorrow night."  
  
*Frowns* I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out, but oh well.  
  
This chapter contained what is most likely the last appearance of Dimitri, as well as the first and last appearance of Anna. Yaremka will be back though. ^. ^  
  
Anyway, leave a review, and the next update is Wednesday. ^. ^ 


	41. Endangered

Ok, enough of cruddy transition chapters. This is going to be a VERY short chappie, but starting on the weekend…can you guess? That's right. Kai's birthday! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 41  
  
Normal POV  
  
-Crimson eyes opened sleepily, and the world slowly came into focus. He blinked once, then let his eyes slid closed again. He wasn't slipping into sleep; he found it nearly impossible to sleep anymore. He simply lay there, unmoving and wishing for a quick, sudden death.  
  
Carefully, Kai tried to move, shift to a more comfortable position, but found it impossible. The heavy collar and long, metal chain attached to it weigh him down from the neck, making it even more difficult to lift his head. So he remained still, his naked body resting face down on the huge, white bed, covered in white feathers.   
  
His small, pale body was covered in healing wounds and dried blood, the result of far too many encounters with the violent, older man. Boris, of course. His captor, his owner, his tormentor. It was Boris that kept him here, despite his wishes. Kai had struggled at first of course, but after so long, he had lost hope, and grown too weak to even resist the man's advances.  
  
Pale, lavender eyes observed the boy's movements from their place in the corner. As Bryan watched Kai's futile attempts at moving. The boy still hadn't learned; there wasn't anything he could do. Bryan did admire his attempts though, the boy was stubborn. Smiling to himself, he calmly stroked the soft red hair of the boy next to him.  
  
Glancing down, he looked into the azure eyes of his companion. They were sad eyes, eyes that had lost their light and passion. The boy was beaten down, hopeless, lost. He too, had given up hope. Hope of helping himself, or freeing his former lover. At times, Bryan would feel almost bad for his pet, as Tala was forced to watch Boris ravage his silver haired lover. But then, it was only what Kai deserved. That traitor, that brat. This was all he deserved.  
  
With his head hanging, Tala slowly raised his head, looking sadly towards the bed and towards Kai. How much longer would it be before Boris returned? The older man never stayed away for long.  
  
There was a soft rattle of chains as Kai turned his head, looking with lifeless eyes at Tala. he made no sound, but his face was begging, crying for some release. Even death. It no longer mattered to him. This wasn't living anymore. It was slavery. He was a slave.  
  
"Kai…" The voice escaped Tala's lips so softly, that at first, Bryan wasn't even sure he heard it. Surprised, he looked down, watching as a tear crept down the pale cheek. Frowning to himself, he lifted the sad face, forcing the boy to look up at him.  
  
"Stop that." He spat, pulling the fair face closer and crushing his lips against Tala's roughly. "You're my lover now."-  
  
Slowly, Bryan opened his eyes, shaking out of his sleep and gradually coming to grips with reality. Visions from his dream still echoed in his mind. That dream had been coming a lot lately.   
  
He sat up in bed, glancing at the clock at his bedside. Despite his dream, he was in a bad mood. Thinking of Kai only served to remind him. Tala wasn't his.   
  
"Not yet." He growled, thinking of the day before. It had taken all of his willpower not to lash out at Kai while the team was eating. Just seeing the boy walk in with Tala, with HIS Tala, was enough to give him fits. He knew that life wasn't fair, he could understand that, but how much longer was he supposed to put up with this?  
  
Kai was nothing. Kai was an accident, a Biovolt experiment gone wrong. That was all. At least, that was what he continued to tell himself.   
  
Last night, he hadn't even been able to force himself to sit through the entire meal. He had left halfway through, storming out in rage, unable to watch Tala and Kai, and the glances they unconsciously cast towards each other. Ian had followed soon after, berating the pale boy to fess up about his problem.   
  
'Tala favors him. Everyone favors him.' He had growled, only telling half of the story. It was true. everyone seemed to see Kai as the perfect blader, some terrific gift to the abbey.   
  
Bryan didn't see things that way.  
  
'You have to remember.' Ian had told him. 'Kai is the only one who matches up to Tala's skills. They're two of a kind. Genetic perfects, the only two in the entire world. They must feel a connection from that.'  
  
"They're rare." Bryan mumbled, twisting the sheets in his hands. "Like the last two of an endangered species." He smirked. "We'll see."  
  
Didn't I say this was going to be an incredibly short chapter? Sorry. This is the last transition chapter, starting on the weekend, Kai's birthday, and the shit hits the fan. ^.^  
  
Torture on the horizen.  
  
Anyway, please leave a review, and thank you to everyone who left reviews! See you this weekend! ^.^ 


	42. Birth of the Phoenix Part 1

So there I was, sitting in Chemistry all innocently working on a periodic table, when my friend Laurie decides to lean over and point something out to me. What did she point out? Element 106. Now, what is element number 106? SEABORGIUM. O.O  
  
So, thank you to Laurie for pointing that out and getting a funny image stuck in my head for the rest of the day.  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 42  
  
Normal POV  
  
Tala sat up, suppressing a yawn and casting a quick glance over to the clock. 5:06 am. Perfect. The sun had barely risen; keeping the room in darkness, save for the slim silver of moonlight reaching through the window. Rolling over in bed, he looked down at Kai, who remained peacefully sleeping. His pale face was impassive, his breathing slow and even. A faint smile flickered across Tala's face; the boy looked so innocent.  
  
Gently reaching over, he nudged Kai's shoulder softly, trying to rouse him from his dreams. He didn't necessarily want to jar the boy awake too quickly, but he was also eager to see the boy open his eyes. it seemed like a long time since he had been able to watch the boy wake peacefully. The past few days had been so stressful, neither of them had gotten much rest.  
  
With Boris currently out of commission and absent from the abbey, the students living there had become somewhat lax, even carefree in there actions. The imposing aura the man emitted had been lifted, and for the first time in their lives, many of the students were experiencing a type of freedom. It was small, but too many of the youngest ones, it was a world of difference. For once, they could be children, at least until one of the abbey guards found them.  
  
Tala chuckled at the thought. The difference between the abbey when Boris was there and when he was gone was like night and day. He shook Kai's shoulder again, his spirits lifted with the thought of the new and very temporary lifestyle change in the abbey, and by the prospect of the day to come.  
  
This day had been a long time coming for Tala. For much of the night, he had stayed awake as Kai slept beside him, gently playing with a strand of silver hair and going over his plans carefully. He was finally ready to make his confession to Kai, and he wasn't about to have anything go wrong. More over, this was Kai's birthday, and he deserved more than anything to have a good time.  
  
"Aw, come on Kai." He moaned, getting a little anxious. "Get up."  
  
The boy mumbled something under his breath and rolled over, burying his head deeper into a pillow. His ribs had finally healed, and for the first time in what had seemed like forever to the silver haired Russian, he could sleep in whatever position he wanted.  
  
Shaking his head in exasperation, Tala reached over, grabbing a corner of the pillow and pulling on it roughly, yanking it from Kai's grasp and causing his face to fall onto the mattress. Clutching the pillow to his own chest, Tala waited for a response.  
  
"…. Jerk."  
  
Tossing the pillow away, Tala leaned over, grabbing a hold of Kai's shoulders and rolling him over towards the edge of the bed. "Come on Kai! Get up! We have stuff to do, you lazy son of a bitch." For a brief second, Kai clung to the blankets, before surrendering and rolling onto the floor with a dull thump. Tala peered down at him, rolling his eyes. "Dumbass." He said, amused.  
  
Kai opened one crimson eye and looked at him, still tangled in the sheets. "Why can't you ever be nice to me?"  
  
Shaking his head, Tala climbed out of the bed, gathering his clothes and heading towards the bathroom. Kai looked so cute, lying there like that, but if he ever wanted to get the day rolling, they couldn't just lay around. "I am being nice. I'm taking you out for your birthday, aren't I?"  
  
"Tala…"  
  
"Shut up." Tala paused in the doorway to the bathroom, glancing over his shoulder at the tangled bundle on the floor. "Stop complaining. Why are you so objectionable to someone doing something nice for you on your birthday?"  
  
Kai shook his head. It wasn't that he wasn't appreciative, he just felt guilty having someone make a big deal over him. When he was living with his grandfather, his birthday was just another day. And he hadn't even bothered mentioning it to the Bladebreakers when he had been with them. Mr. Dickinson however, had somehow known and remembered and mentioned it to Tyson's grandfather and Judy, who had insisted on taking him out for it, despite his attempts to get out of it.  
  
Tala however, would be much more insistent on making it a big deal, and in his true style, would refuse to be dissuaded. Just like when they were younger, Kai, thought as the shower turned on in the bathroom and he began to work at unwrapping his limbs from the sheets. Not to mention the fact that he would have to live with Tala's wrath should he try get out of it.  
  
Sighing, he tossed the bundle of blankets back onto the bed and made his way towards the dresser. For one, he had planned ahead and moved some extra clothes into the cherry haired blader's room. Carefully, he picked out an outfit, making a conscious effort to choose something he knew he looked good in, and that Tala would like. When he was satisfied, he leaned against the wall, his eyes closed until Tala emerged from the shower, rubbing a towel over his head.  
  
"All yours." He announced. Kai nodded in response and stepped inside. Tala smiled at the closed door, and went to the dresser, pulling some money from where it was hidden and counting it out. There were a few debts he needed to pay off today, mainly to Yaremka. The boy had helped him out , by paying not only for Kai's gift, but by picking up some supplies that Tala would need later in the day. Tala chuckled to himself, pocketing the money. Today would be the first time Yaremka and Kai met, and he could only imagine how the two would react to each other. Not that they would spend much time together. Tala intended on spending every minute he could alone with Kai.  
  
When the shower turned off and Kai stepped out, Tala looked him over appreciatively and smiled. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
********  
  
Yaremka shifted on the park bench, moving the brown paper bag from one hand to the other and gazing out over the snow covered paths. His eyes felt heavy and tired, but he fought to keep them open, even in the biting wind. He had no idea why Tala had asked to meet him so early, but the azure eyed boy had insisted it would be a short, important meeting, so he had agreed, bringing with him what Tala had asked for.  
  
He peered out into the park, looking for any sign of his friend. At such an early hour and in such cold temperatures, the park was practically deserted. Again, his eyes drifted closed, but he snapped them back open as he spotted a familiar redhead approaching.  
  
  
  
Yaremka watched closely as the boy approached. His slim figure was wrapped in a long, black coat, fending off the wind and cold. Slowly, his eyes shifted to the figure beside Tala, a slightly shorter boy wearing an identical coat with vibrant silver and blue hair. As the two got closer, he rose to his feet to greet them.  
  
"Hey…Tala…" he started, looking back and forth between Tala and Kai. "What's with…the early…meeting?"  
  
Tala smiled, and for the first time, Yaremka noticed that the two were holding hands. "Just wanted to get this over with." He said. "Then you can go home and back to sleep."  
  
Yaremka nodded, observing Tala's body language carefully. He hadn't seen Tala act like this in a long time. It was a rare sight to see the boy so carefree. He wondered if it had something to do with his companion.  
  
Tala gazed over at Kai with adoration. "Yaremka, this is Kai." He said. Kai looked over at Yaremka and nodded slightly. "Kai, this is Yaremka, Dimitri's older brother."  
  
"I don't see much of a resemblance." Kai stated, and Yaremka laughed. Although the boy seemed quiet, he couldn't help but like him. He had certain presence; there was something about him. With a jolt, he realized that this must be the boy that Tala had fallen in love with.  
  
Tearing his dull eyes away from Kai's brilliant red ones, he addressed Tala. "Here's what you wanted." He stated, and held out the paper bag.   
  
Digging into his pocket, Tala handed his friend some money, before graciously accepting the bag. "Thanks."  
  
Kai looked over suspiciously. "What's that?"  
  
"Black market…body parts." Yaremka told him, and Kai raised an eyebrow, smirking. Yaremka didn't seem too quick, but at least he had a sense of humor.   
  
Ignoring the exchange between the two, Tala addressed Yaremka. "Go back home and sleep. Thanks a lot."  
  
Yaremka nodded, turning away. "No…problem. Have…fun…you guys." He said, before walking away. He was looking forward to going back, but another part of told him that Tala probably wanted to be alone with Kai. He wouldn't intrude.  
  
When the boy disappeared, Kai shook his head in amusement and looked at Tala. "Are all of your friends psychotic or strange?"  
  
Tala laughed, knowing that he was referring back to Dimitri. He had known the two for so long that they no longer seemed out of the ordinary, but to someone else, they did look damn strange. "It runs in their family."  
  
"How did you meet?"  
  
Tala fell silent, thinking back. They way they had met was kind of strange, a lot of circumstance and coincidence. And, oddly enough, it had been Boris that had forced their meeting.  
  
"Boris wanted me to get in contact with some 'hired help'."  
  
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Hired help?"  
  
"Assassins." Tala explained. He looked out over the horizon, where the sun slowly crept up. "He wanted to bring some into the abbey to help create fear among the students. So he sent me out to make contact with some of them."  
  
"Is Yaremka hired help?"  
  
Tala shook his head. "No. But Dimitri is very close with one. And since they're siblings and he was closer to my age…"  
  
Kai nodded in understanding. For his days with the blade sharks, he remembered how complicated contacts could get. Sometimes you needed to get close to someone who could bring you closer to someone else you needed help from. "So, what happened with that?"  
  
"It was fiasco." Tala retorted bitterly, thinking back. He laughed. "Boris didn't know what he was dealing with." He looked over at Kai. "But in the end, Dimitri and I established some business contacts, and Yaremka and I stayed in touch. So that's it."  
  
"You know, the people you associate with aren't much different then ones I used to know."  
  
Tala smiled, squeezing Kai's hand. "You mean your old gang?"  
  
"Mhmm."  
  
Tala glanced off in the direction of the river. "Promise you'll tell me about them some time. But right now," He turned to Kai, grinning. "Let's go."  
  
*Still doing her chem. work* Kai's birthday is going to be cut into parts, only because it's long, so stay tuned for part 2.   
  
Torture? Ha! If you thought what I made them go through before was bad, just wait! To give you a hint, one of the chapter titles is going to be, "Russian Roulette." ^.^ *teaser*  
  
Everyone! Go check out Melanie's website!  
  
http://level4chaos.goldenyaoihuggle.com/  
  
She has done some absolutely beautiful fan art! *swoons* Go see! I promise you won't be disappointed!  
  
Anyway, Leave a review, and the next update will come on Wednesday. ^.^ 


	43. Birth of the Phoenix Part 2

*Sighs* Sorry about the late updates, but certain members of my family have been preventing me from getting any actual work done! *Growls* You probably can't tell, but I'm in a pretty bad mood right now…  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 43  
  
Normal POV  
  
"Let's go."  
  
Kai shrugged, allowing Tala to lead him away from Yaremka and around the park. He didn't know what the red heads plans for the day were going to be, but he was content to just go with it and let things happen. They both needed some time to relax, time to be away from the abbey and the aura it held. It was too suffocating; they needed time to breathe.   
  
Lifting a gloved hand, Kai rubbed his cheeks, trying to warm them up. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the nighttime chill still hung in the air. The sky was cloud free right now, but both boys knew that it wouldn't stay that way for long. A storm was moving in, and Tala was grateful that the snow had at least held off long enough so that the two could spend some time outdoors.   
  
Tala glanced over, noticing Kai's actions. "Are you cold?"  
  
"Na." Kai shook his head, taking his hands away from his face. "Guess my body's just got a little too used to the climate in Japan."  
  
Satisfied, Tala nodded. He himself had never been to Japan, or anywhere even remotely close, so he couldn't say much. If Japan really was warm, Kai certainly didn't look like he had been spending much time in the sun. His complexion was as pale as it had ever been. The boy must have spent a lot of time indoors, which was most likely Voltaire's doing. Somehow, it seemed like the captivity Kai experienced in the abbey hadn't been lessened by much during his time away.  
  
"So." Kai asked suddenly, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. "What exactly do you have planned?"  
  
Tala smiled. He had been wondering how long it would take Kai to ask that question. He had always been curious like that; so eager to know everything he could. Tala admired that, and envied it. Kai was smart, much smarter than he could ever hope to be.  
  
Kai peered over at him, narrowing crimson eyes. "Hello? Are you going to answer my question or not?"  
  
Mentally, Tala shook himself, trying not to act like he had just spaced out. "We're going to go get something to eat, first of all. It's early; there won't be many lines."  
  
  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
Reaching over, Tala grasped Kai's hand and gave it a squeeze. He wanted so badly to make sure that he gave Kai the best birthday he possibly could, so he spent weeks planning out exactly what they were going to do. "You'll like the place we're going to. If you can deal with crabby waiters and waitresses, that is."  
  
Kai laughed and shook his head, amused. "Tala, I've dealt with people far worse than crabby waiters. I think I can handle it."  
  
********  
  
"You're right," Kai laughed, tapping his fingers on the table. "They are crabby."  
  
Tala laughed with him and moved closer to the silver haired boy. The two had chosen to sit side by side, rather than across from each other. "Didn't I tell you? These people have a personal vendetta against me." His azure eyes scanned the room. "Especially that one." He said, motioning towards their waitress with a nod of his head.   
  
Kai wouldn't have doubted that. The girl's attitude had been icy at best when she first approached them, and that was only after she had fiercely fought with her coworker to avoid taking the table.  
  
"So, what'd you do?" Kai asked, grabbing Tala's water and taking a sip, Tala gave him a dirty look.  
  
"It's more guilt by association, actually." He replied, grabbing his water back. He looked thoughtful. "Yaremka and I came used to come in here, whenever I could fake a reason to get out of the abbey."  
  
Kai frowned; he really didn't see that difference that made. "So?"  
  
"So," Tala smirked. "He likes to torture them; give the waiters a hard time."  
  
Kai frowned. He wasn't so sure he liked hearing about Yaremka. The boy had seemed all right, but he couldn't help but be jealous. Yaremka had the benefit of all those years that Kai hadn't been there. Suddenly self-conscious, he laid his head on Tala's shoulder, looking out into the mostly empty dining room. "What a jerk."  
  
Tala looked down at him, a small smile tugging at his lips. So even Kai Hiwatari was capable of such a human emotion as jealousy. The tone in is voice was well hidden, but Tala could hear it all the same. Reaching over, he put his arm around the boy's shoulder, trying to reassure him. "He's not that bad, but he does cross the line sometimes." He paused. "He got someone fired, once."  
  
A scowl crossed Kai's face. He knew that guy was no good. "How?"  
  
"Pushed one of them too far, got a bowl of borsht poured over his head."  
  
Kai couldn't help but laugh, half at the absurdity of the action, half at Yaremka. To him, it seemed justly deserved, and he mentally applauded whomever the waiter or waitress had been.  
  
As their waitress approached the table, carrying their food, Kai started to sit up, but Tala stopped him, holding his body close. The girl scowled at them, particularly at Tala. She dropped the food on the table with an obviously lack of grace or care, and addressed them.  
  
"I see you have a new toy." She sneered at Tala.  
  
With a smirk, Tala pulled Kai closer, pressing a kiss to the boy's temple. "Watch your mouth, this is no toy." He nuzzled the soft silver hair affectionately. "He's my soul mate."  
  
As Kai blushed from the comment, the girl shook her head in disgust.  
  
"Just eat and get the hell out." She stated and walked away.  
  
Tala stared after her, his eyes giving away only a fraction of his emotions. "Bitch. She's not getting a tip now."  
  
**********  
  
Kai looked down over his shoulder, staring down into the inky black river below him. The water rushed past under the bridge, reflecting the setting sun in some areas, making it look like molten rock. His hands clutched the metal railing of the bridge as he perched on the edge, thinking.  
  
The day had passed surprisingly quickly. Tala had stayed true to his word, spending the entire day with Kai; bringing him to various places in the city he remembered from childhood, but hadn't seen in years. For the first time in a long while, Kai found that he was truly enjoying himself, and was glad that he hadn't fought off Tala's plans for the day.  
  
Next to him, Tala rubbed his hands together, trying to fight off the growing chill. With the sun setting, the air was getting colder, and after spending a whole day outside, even he was starting to feel the chill. Leaning on the rail, he looked down at the water, following Kai's gaze.  
  
"Bet you haven't been here in a while." he said, watching the steady flow of water. He used to come here a lot, finding the water somewhat soothing.  
  
"Not really." Kai mumbled. He lifted his head, glancing over at Tala. "Hey, Tala."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Carefully, Kai leaned backwards, holding tightly to the railing and giving his friend a thoughtful look. "If I were to fall in, would you-"  
  
"Yes." Tala interjected, not giving him time to finish the question.  
  
Kai raised an eyebrow. There had been no hesitation whatsoever in his reply. "So, you'd jump in after me?" he asked, his spirits lifted by the red haired Russian's response.  
  
Grasping his friend's wrist, Tala looked at Kai with serious eyes, "Without a second thought." He said, and truly meant it.   
  
Kai smirked. Tala had always been fiendishly protective of him.  
  
"It's cold."  
  
Nodding, Tala motioned for him to come off of the railing. Kai jumped down and allowed the taller boy to wrap his arms around his slim frame. "Better?"  
  
Burying his face into Tala's chest, Kai nodded. "You're warm." He muttered, his voice muffled.  
  
Tala looked out over his shoulder, his eyes drifting over the city's lights. The night was rapidly approaching, and there was still something very important that he needed to do.  
  
"Let's get heading back to the abbey." He said, though not releasing his hold on Kai. "There's something I want to give you." He hesitated. "And there's something I want to tell you."  
  
I know, I know, evil cliffy. But, I want the confession scene to turn out really well, and I can't quite seem to get my mojo working today. So, that'll happen next chapter.  
  
If I'm lucky, I can get the next chapter out by tomorrow, (Monday) but if not, look for it on Tuesday. And of course of Wednesday, there will be the normal update. (God, I'm so behind. -.-;)  
  
Anyway, please leave me a review, and a big, huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I'm almost at 500! ^.^ *Gives out chibi Ian plushies* 


	44. You have my word

Ok. Short update today guys. Sorry, but I'm all worn out.  
  
But!  
  
I got my 500 reviews! ^.^ You have no idea how happy you made me! *hugs* You guys are the best. Thanks for sticking through for this whole time. It's been about 5 months, you know. Weird. Thank you so much! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 44  
  
Normal POV  
  
He stormed into the room, tossing his coat onto a nearby chair and pacing restlessly. His right eye was black and swollen so badly that it was sealed shut, his lip was split and puffy, his skin covered in bandages and squares of chunky gaze. Furious, he clenched and unclenched his fists, still wearing holes in the floor.   
  
Getting back to the abbey hadn't been easy. Special care needed to be taken to insure that no one on the streets saw the injures he had obtained. Convincing the doctors to let him go had been troublesome enough; he didn't need faceless nobodies on the street gawking at him.   
  
There was a knock at his door, and he whipped around, spitting out his words. "What?"  
  
The door swung open cautiously, and a hooded guard appeared in the doorway. "Sir. I checked like you asked."  
  
Boris turned his back to the man, hiding the state of his body. He was almost sure that this was one of the guards that had taken him to the hospital in the first place. The guard would have to be eliminated. He, Boris, couldn't risk leaving anyone that had seen him in such a condition, alive. There would be no one to bear witness to his weakness; they would have to disappear. All of them.  
  
"Well?" he asked, feigning disinterest.   
  
The guard didn't hesitate, he was used to the man's venomous tone of voice. "Surveillance observed them coming in the back entrance about ten minutes ago, sir."  
  
Boris scowled. He could have figured that. He walked around his desk and leaned against it, still looking away. "And where are they now?" he hissed.  
  
"We…don't know." The guard admitted.  
  
"Tell me…" Boris started slowly, his words carefully planned. "How is it that we fail to keep track of two bratty kids, even with the most advance surveillance system in the world?"  
  
The man was at a loss for a reply. He shifted. "Sir?"  
  
"Get out." Boris spat.  
  
The man didn't need to be told twice. He left closing the door behind him. When the room was silent again, Boris touched a button on the desk, bringing up a small TV monitor. He changed views a few times, and then settled down, his eyes focused intently on the image in front of him.  
  
"We shall see."  
  
*********  
  
Carefully, Kai held the match, waiting until the wick caught the flames, before dousing it with a wave of his hand. Tossing the burnt match aside, he stood. "That's the last of them." He turned and looked at Tala, who was busying himself on the other side of the room. "So what's with all the candles?"  
  
Tala straightened up, holding the paper bag he had been carrying since their meeting that morning. "I figured fire would be appropriate for your birthday."  
  
"So there's no plan to burn down the abbey?"  
  
Tala laughed and shook his head. "No, not yet." He smirked. "Sounds kinda temping though."  
  
Shrugging to himself, Kai climbed onto Tala's bed, watching his red haired companion closely. "So? What's up? What's in the bag?"  
  
Sitting down next to him, Tala held out the bag, careful not to let Kai see inside. He smirked, his face illuminated by the flickering candles. "Sounds like a game. Guess what's in the bag."  
  
Kai rolled his eyes, trying to peek over and get a glimpse. "Screw the game. Just tell me."  
  
"Spoil sport." Tala sighed, relenting. Reaching inside the bag, he pulled out a large glass bottle and dropped on the bed. Kai's eyes got noticeably brighter.  
  
"Vodka?"  
  
Tala grinned. "Since it's a special occasion and all." He laughed. "And we don't even have to steal it from Boris this time."  
  
Kai laughed along, remembering all the times when he and Tala had snuck around, stealing things from Boris or the kitchen. They had become pretty good thieves, which pleased Boris in a twisted sort of way, but also got them into some trouble. After all, it was hard to escape the angry kitchen staff when you lived in an abbey, 24 hours a day.  
  
"Tala, you're amazing."  
  
"I know." He rose, leaving the bed and heading towards his dresser. It was now or never. If he and Kai were going to drink, his confession would have to be made first, lest the other boy think it was just an effect of the alcohol. He rummaged in the drawer, pulling out the small box. "But first, I have something to give you."  
  
Kai looked up, glancing over his shoulder at the other boy. He blinked. "What?"  
  
Tala walked over, his heart already pounding in his chest. The tension was starting to build; he couldn't believe he was going to do this. If Kai didn't respond, if he didn't feel the same way…his throat went dry. Pushing the thought out of his mind, he stood behind Kai.  
  
"Just a gift." He mumbled.  
  
Kai sighed, exasperated. "I told you not to get me anything."  
  
"I don't care." Tala told him, pulling the collar from the box and draping around his neck. The silver cross hung against Kai's pale skin, reflecting the light of the candles.  
  
Kai glanced down, drawing in a sharp breath. "Tala…I…"  
  
"Shh." Tala told him, resting his hands gently on Kai's shoulders. He leaned his head down, his lips brushing against the side of Kai's face. "Happy birthday."  
  
Reaching up a hand, Kai lifted the cross, looking at the engraving on the other side. his crimson eyes drifted over the words, tracing the letters that spelt out and connected his name with Tala's. "Tala…this had to be expensive. I can't accept it." He stammered.   
  
"It's worth it." Tala told him. "I want you to have it. But…"  
  
He hesitated, wrapping his arms around Kai's neck, holding him possessively. "But, that's more than just a birthday gift." He said, softly and slowly. Kai blinked, wishing he could see Tala's face. His heart was beating faster, and he wasn't sure why.  
  
Tala took a deep breath. "It's more than that. It's…it's sort of a promise."  
  
"A promise?" Kai asked.  
  
"Kai, we've always been close, ever since we were little kids. But now…I think the way I feel about you has changed."  
  
Kai swallowed. "Tala…"  
  
"Kai…I love you. As more than a friend, as more than a brother." Tala let his hand drift down and cover the cross, holding it against his skin. Kai's heart stopped, not believing what he was hearing. "No matter what you say, I love you Kai. And that cross is a promise that I always will, no matter what."  
  
Crimson eyes slid closed. Slowly, Kai reached up, covering Tala's hand with his own. He was a t a loss for words. He wanted to respond, but couldn't form the words to express himself. It was as though a roadblock had been set up.  
  
"Tala…I…"  
  
Tala tensed, fearing the worst. It had been so hard for him to come out in the open, if Kai were to reject him now…  
  
Kai smiled. "I afraid that…I don't have anything to symbolize my promise that I'll always love you."  
  
A huge weight lifted from Tala's chest. He hugged Kai closer, burying his hand in the Russian's silver hair. "Kai…your word is enough."  
  
Kai leaned backwards, his eyes closed. "I love you, Tala." he whispered.  
  
1…2…3…AWWWWW ^.^  
  
I know, so mushy and fluffy. But since there will be major torture and angst soon….  
  
Anyway, please leave a review and tell me what you thought! Update on the weekend! *gives out Wyatt plushies* ^.^ 


	45. Aishiteru

Ok, it's *checks watch* 5 in the morning, so suffice it to say, this is going to be a really short update. Sorry guys. ^.^  
  
Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I was completely floored by the response. ^.^ You guys are the best.   
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 45  
  
Normal POV  
  
Kai closed his eyes, his head resting on Tala's chest, listening to the gentle pattern of the other boy's breathing. The soft inhale and exhale of air was lulling him into sleep, even though he fought fiercely to stay awake. He didn't want to slip into oblivion yet; he wanted to keep this moment forever.  
  
Tala wound his hand around the slim waist, gently rubbing the other boy's back. His breath causing the silver hair to shiver. After their little talk and a bit of celebrating, the boy had fallen oddly silent and had curled up on Tala's chest.  
  
He sighed. He and Kai had laid like this before, but never exactly like this. They had always done so as just friends and nothing more, but now…  
  
Possessively, he wrapped his arms tighter around Kai. Somehow, he was afraid that this might not be real. What if it was a dream? What if it was a hallucination?  
  
Gently, he took a hold of Kai's face, forcing the boy to look up at him. His face was even paler by the moonlight, but his crimson eyes were as bright as ever. The flames of the candles that still burned danced in his eyes, which Tala fond oddly appropriate. A smile crept across his face as Kai tilted his head slightly, questioning.  
  
Leaning down, he whispered, "I love you." And brushed his lips against Kai's.  
  
"I love you too." Kai replied, and shifted so he could kiss Tala's neck.  
  
Tala fell silent, thinking, his fingers playing with Kai's midnight blue hair. "Kai?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"How do you say 'I love you', in Japanese?"  
  
Kai smiled, he had almost forgotten that he needed to teach Tala how to speak the language. It wouldn't be terribly challenging, since Tala was smart and would pick up on it easily. "Aishiteru."  
  
Tala hesitated, running the word through his mind. He kind of liked how it sounded. Japanese didn't sound as harsh as Russian did. "Say it again?" he asked.  
  
"Aishiteru." Kai repeated. The word sounded strange coming from his lips, he thought. He couldn't recall having ever used it once, even in the entire time he had lived in Japan. After all, who was he going to say it to? His grandfather? The Bladesharks? Tyson? He resisted the urge to laugh.  
  
"Aishiteru." Tala repeated. "I like that." He hesitated, thinking. "Think Boris understands Japanese?"  
  
Kai thought about that a minute. Sure, he had used Japanese in front of the man before, but only to curse him out. And when Voltaire spoke to him, it was always in Russian. "I don't think so. Why?"  
  
Tala laughed softly and played with a strand of Kai's hair, shifting slightly as the soft silk tickled his chest. "Just wondering, really. You'll teach me how to speak the rest of the language, right?"  
  
"Sure. You'll learn it quickly enough. The written part might take you a little while, though."  
  
Tala laughed, closing his eyes and squeezing Kai tightly. "Maybe, but I have a great teacher."  
  
***********  
  
Boris tapped his fingers against the hard wood of his desk, eyes transfixed on the screen in front of him. although he was watching, he wasn't paying to much attention anymore.  
  
He had seen, and heard, enough.  
  
So, what Bryan had told him wasn't completely true, but then, it wasn't completely wrong either. Tala and Kai weren't lovers, not yet, but based on what he saw and heard, they would be very soon. Or at least, they planned to be. Whether or not they ever got that far was a different story.  
  
He wondered what Voltaire would say if he knew. On one hand, the older man was tending to be favorable to Kai lately. After all, the boy had come back to the abbey with minimal resistance this time. But then, he doubted the old man would be happy over Kai's choice of lover.  
  
It wasn't that Voltaire didn't have some level of respect for Tala as a blader, but there was far too much standing in the way. For one, Tala was a boy, which wouldn't please him at all, two, he was a lower class then Kai was, even if living in the abbey had put them all at the same level, and three…the boy seemed dominant over Kai. For someone so used to seeing the boy as powerful, it would be a shock to see him act submissive to anyone who wasn't an authority figure.  
  
So, it was safe to say, that without a doubt, Voltaire would be furious.   
  
Boris hesitated, not sure he wanted to tell the man this fact yet. When he did, Voltaire was sure to rush over to put Kai in his place, and maybe Tala as well. But that wasn't what he wanted, not yet. The act and pleasure of teaching the boy's their lesson should be his and his alone. Hadn't he earned it, after all the years of faithful service to Voltaire's cause? The least the man could do was allow him the use of his rebellious grandson.  
  
He smiled, deciding that he would deal the punishment out on his own. Those two would learn their place. They had no right to act as though they had any free will at all. They would have to be taught a lesson.  
  
Pressing a button, he spoke through an intercom down to the guardroom. "Clear out the lower training room. And call down Tala and Kai as soon as the brats show their faces."  
  
He leaned back in his chair, smiling. His eyes drifted back towards the screen. He had warned the boys about how painful emotions, especially love, were, but they hadn't listened. Now they would have to see for themselves.  
  
My retinas are burning! Dumb me didn't think to turn on any lights. O.o. Anyway, I know it was a baaaad chappy, but starting…probably next chapter, we're going to go into torture, and it might be fairly graphic. But still just R rated. ^.^  
  
I forget who asked this because I don't have the review with me, but the story takes place sometime after the World Championships. But it's kind of AU, so it doesn't exactly fit in the story line. Make sense? ^.^  
  
Anyway, leave a review, pretty please, and the next part will probably be out this weekend, ok? ^.^ 


	46. Beginning of the End

Hahahaha!! I am alive!!! ^.^ I was not dead for the past week, just tired. All my work for creative writing and audition material kinda snuck up on me, so I've been kinda…. Exhausted. Now that it's all out of the way and done, I can get back to this! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 46  
  
Normal POV  
  
Bryan tapped his foot impatiently on the stone floor, the sound echoing down the hallway as he stared into the darkness apprehensively. It felt like he had been standing there forever, even though it had only been a few minutes. He was anxious, excited. The morning was still early, so the abbey was relatively still, but the air around him seemed to be buzzing. Who would have thought that his day would be going so well already?  
  
Tala and Kai were in trouble.  
  
  
  
He smirked. Boris had sent guards out to find the boys and bring them to one of the training rooms, but luckily enough, Bryan had found out beforehand, and offered to go and get them himself. It wasn't out of kindness that he did this; he merely wanted to see the looks on their faces when they found out Boris needed to speak with them.  
  
Of course, the fact that Tala was going to be facing possible punishment was less appealing to him, but if it meant that Kai would get was coming to him, he was willing to make a sacrifice. Bryan would just have to be there for Tala when the red head finally realized what trouble the Hiwatari boy was.  
  
The sound of footsteps approached, and he perked up. It had to be them. No one else came down these hallways, save for the occasional guard, but Bryan had already taken care of them. He smirked. This was going to be fun.  
  
***********  
  
Boris stood, facing away from the door with his hands clasped behind his back. His gray eyes focused on the bare stone wall in front of him, staring at it but not really seeing anything. Absentmindedly, he tapped a finger against the thick bandage on his arm, thinking to himself.   
  
  
  
This was going to be a very delicate situation.   
  
They, that is to say, Tala and Kai, were going to pay very dearly for their actions during their last encounter. Especially Tala. It was he who had made a fool of Boris; he who had landed Boris in the hospital. He couldn't blame Kai too much for that situation; after all, the silver haired boy had behaved himself quite nicely. If only Tala had behaved just as well…  
  
He scowled. Yes, he would pay for that very dearly. But then, there was this new development.  
  
The boys didn't know about the camera in their room, and Boris was very keen on keeping them in the dark. He didn't want to say anything that would jeopardize his surveillance of them. There was the probability that if they knew, they would find a new location to have their little meetings, and Boris didn't want that.  
  
No, he quite liked watching them.  
  
But then, he couldn't allow them to continue being together. So the question was; how to punish them and make sure they knew what they were being punished for, without revealing his sources.  
  
The door opened behind him, throwing a stream of light from the hallway over his back. As the door shut again and cast them into darkness, he turned, staring with hard eyes at the solitary figure standing just inside the room.  
  
"Tala." He said, his voice falsely pleasant. "Do come in."  
  
Tala hesitated. He was apprehensive about stepping any further into the room. Something wasn't right. "Yes sir." He mumbled, and took a few careful steps forward.  
  
Boris smiled, his eyes scanned over the Russian boy. "You're alone." He observed. Tala stiffened slightly at his words. "Where is Kai?"  
  
To Tala, the observation that he indeed was alone with the man was said with some malice. A chill passed down his spine as he stared down the director, and found himself longing for Kai's companionship. "Bryan needed to see him first, sir." He admitted.  
  
"Hm." Boris paced a few steps, then stopped and looked hard at Tala. "So. You were with him until recently?"  
  
Tala mentally slapped himself, realizing his slip up. "yes sir."  
  
Boris nodded and gave Tala a nasty smile. As he stepped closer towards the boy, Tala moved back, until he was backed against the door.   
  
Sapphire eyes darted back and forth, looking for a way to slip away from Boris. He couldn't moved backwards anymore, and to move forward was to step right into the man's hands. So it was either right or left.  
  
"Well." Boris started slowly, his eyes roamed up and down Tala's body. He could just barely see the fine tremors that wracked the slim frame. A smile curled at his lips. "We have to solve that problem too, won't we?"  
  
************  
  
Kai stumbled back, raising a hand to wipe a small stream of blood from the corner of his mouth. His expression was calm, but inside, he was screaming at himself.  
  
  
  
How could he have been so stupid? Why had he let his guard down so badly was wrong with him?  
  
Bryan smirked, watching as the boy slid down to a sitting position on the floor. He was enjoying watching the boy suffer, and after all, the joy was something Bryan deserved. It took a lot to catch Kai off guard; it hadn't been easy.  
  
He knelt down, putting his face close to Kai's. Furious scarlet eyes focused on his; he could practically feel their fire.  
  
"What's wrong Kai?" he asked, and Kai shook his head, not saying a word. "You aren't fighting back."  
  
Kai remained silent. His cheek was throbbing dully from where he had been hit, but he wasn't about to give Bryan the pleasure of seeing that. So he remained impassive, staring at the lilac haired boy with a look to kill.  
  
Frustrated with the lack of response, Bryan frowned. He reached out a hand, gently fingering the silver cross at Kai's pale neck.  
  
"What's this?" he asked curiously. He leaned forward, examining it closely. He couldn't remember ever seeing Kai with it before. He turned the metal piece over, rubbing his thumb across the engraved words.  
  
With a low growl, Kai grabbed his wrist and pried the cross from his fingers. Bryan's touch was going to defile it. "Don't touch that." He spat.  
  
A smirk spread across his features, and Bryan stood. it was too late for Kai to hide it now. He had seen was carved on that cross. "Tala and Kai, huh?" he taunted. "That's too bad."  
  
Kai narrowed his eyes and got to his feet. He held his tongue though, afraid of saying something that would give himself away. His fists clenched at his sides.  
  
"So," Bryan started, already feeling a familiar anger building inside of him. there was physical proof now; a token of Tala's feelings for the phoenix. "You're going to be Tala's sex toy too?"  
  
Kai blocked out his words, ignoring the taunt. What did it matter what Bryan thought anyway? Turning away, he made to leave, but Bryan grabbed his shoulder roughly.   
  
"You wanna know a little secret, Kai?" Bryan whispered, his breath brushing against the side of Kai's face. "It won' stay that way for long."  
  
Kai tensed, looking back at Bryan from the corner of his eye.   
  
"Because the next time I see your little boyfriend, I'm going to strip him naked and fuck him until he screams for mercy!"  
  
Kai whirled around, lashing out and catching Bryan in the side his face with a fist. The boy stumbled back, holding his cheek, the smirk never leaving his features.   
  
  
  
"You sonofabitch."  
  
"Maybe." Bryan smiled. "But I'm not going to be the only one."  
  
Kai stopped in his tracks. He had been planning to hit Bryan some more until he shut up, but something inside told him to listen. "What?"  
  
"Idiot." Bryan leaned against the wall, turning his head away. He didn't want Kai to see the pain that flashed across his face when he said what he said next. "why do you think Boris wanted to see him?"  
  
Kai's eyes widened in realization. "Shit." He cursed under his breath, and whirled around; all thoughts about Bryan forgotten. He raced down the hallway, heading in the direction Tala had gone in, leaving Bryan to slump to the floor.   
  
The lilac haired boy sighed. For some reason, he felt exhausted now. He closed his eyes, muttering under his breath.   
  
"Bastard. Laying his hands on my Tala."  
  
Crappy chappie!   
  
Sorry, but my mojo isn't working right now. Plus, someone *cough*GWingAngel*cough* hijacked me right in the middle of this chapter to go play DDR, so it's a little disjointed.   
  
Anyway, from here on out, there's going to be torture. It'll be a little rough, but still within the R classification. I may or may not do an uncensored version of some parts, but that won't be posted on FF.N. My friend will host it. ^.^  
  
Anyway, sorry about cruddyness. Please leave me a review, and I'll update on Wednesday. Back on schedule. ^.^ 


	47. Signs

Brrr…it's freezing in here! For some reason, my bedroom is always 10 degrees colder than anywhere else in the house.   
  
Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to Laurie and Olivia. The Powderpuff game was canceled because of strong winds, so here's to them in hopes that they cheer up. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 47  
  
Normal POV  
  
The hallways rushed around him, stone walls fading into a gray blur as he ran past. His feet echoed heavily in the empty halls, ricocheting off into the bleak shadows. Cameras whirred as they were jarred out of their places by the sudden movement, sending the image of the figure off the some unknown control room to be observed and studied.  
  
Kai gasped for breath, his feet carrying him automatically while his mind raced in a thousand directions at once. It felt as though someone had set of an explosive in his brain, scattering his thoughts into the farthest reaches of his mind. One thought, however, kept returning; pushing everything else to the back.  
  
How could he have been so blind?  
  
Squeezing his eyes shut, he picked up his pace, cursing under his breath. He was berating himself, kicking himself mentally for being so dumb, and allowing someone he cared about to fall into danger. If he had been thinking clearly, if he hadn't been such an idiot…  
  
Empty, abandoned cells passed him in a blur, cold drafts slipping from between the bars. He shivered, both from the chill and from fear and self-loathing. For the first time in his life, he could honestly say he loved someone, and now, because of his stupidity, that person might be in danger.  
  
'He is in danger, I know he is. Oh god, Tala…'  
  
He paced slowed as the hallways began to branch out. To the right, tunnels leading down to the labs. To the left, training rooms and more cells. Straight ahead, a pathway that would lead up to the main complex of the abbey and eventually, outside. Forward was the road less traveled.  
  
Stopping in the middle of the intersection, Kai paused, glancing left and right, trying to decide which way to take. Above him, a camera lens twisted into focus.  
  
'Which way? Where did Bryan say they were going?'  
  
  
  
Panting heavily, he looked down both corridors, trying desperately to find some sign, some signal of which way to go.  
  
'Even if I did know where they were, what's to say that Boris didn't move him?'  
  
His fists clenched in his silver hair, feeling desperation and helplessness wash over him. The abbey was huge; Tala could be anywhere, and with every second that passed, the chances of something terrible happening grew stronger.  
  
He closed his eyes, praying silently. Trusting everything to luck, fate and chance, he blindly picked a direction and headed towards the left.  
  
'Please, Tala. Please hold on.'  
  
************  
  
A small, involuntary cry escaped Tala's lips as he felt his back slam painfully onto the hard wood of Boris's desk. Papers and files went flying as Boris leaned over, twisting his fingers in the fiery red hair, grasping it painfully.  
  
He leaned closer, snarling dangerously into the boy's pale face. "Was that a cry of pain I heard?" Tala drew in a sharp breath, but remained silent. He knew that making another sound would only cause the situation to grow worse. He bit his lip.  
  
  
  
"You didn't utter a sound as I dragged you here from the training room." Boris continued. "What happened?"  
  
Tala gave no reply.   
  
With a scowl, Boris studied the boy's face. A thin line of blood ran from the corner of his mouth down to Tala's chin, a dark bruise was beginning to form on the boy's temple from where Boris had hit him, and although he gave no response, the face was contorted in obvious pain. Leaning down, he licked away the trail of blood, causing Tala to recoil in disgust.  
  
"You're weak."  
  
  
  
He yanked the red hair, pulling Tala's face forward. Feebly, Tala opened his eyes, and despite his beaten condition, Boris could still see the rage and defiance burning in them.  
  
"Stop it." He ordered, and a defiant smirk flickered on Tala's face. "Don't give me that look!"  
  
In one motion, he threw Tala from the desk, sending him crashing into a metal shelving unit on the far wall. Shelves collapsed as Tala slumped to the ground, sending books and glass jars crashing around him. Small shards of glass stabbed into his skin, but he paid no mind, and let his head fall to his chest.  
  
He wanted to rest. He was tired, more tired than he had ever felt before. Save for his shallow breathing, his body was still. Somewhere, deep down, he wanted to play dead. If Boris thought he was dead…  
  
A shadow fell over him as Boris loomed above him, looking down at the broken boy with disgust. "Get up." He ordered.  
  
Tala tried to move his arms and legs, but they felt numb and cold. His back ached, burning as though it were on fire.  
  
"I said, get up."  
  
**************  
  
Heavy doors swung open, letting a slice of light from the hallway pierce the dark room. Eager, anxious scarlet eyes took in the surrounds quickly, searching desperately for any sign of movement.  
  
"Tala?!"  
  
Kai took a few steps inside the room, his spirits quickly falling as he took in the surroundings. They had to be here. If Tala had gone to a training room, then this had to be where he was. It was one of the smaller ones, and without a doubt one of the most secluded. This would be where Boris would have led the teen.  
  
And yet the room was empty.  
  
Overcome by anguish and exhaustion, Kai fell to his knees. His hair fell over his face as he hung his head, staring down the floor with a blank expression. His hands made fists on the stone, trembling slightly out of rage.  
  
"No." he closed his eyes, willing himself not to be completely overwhelmed. He needed to stay strong, needed to keep his focus. If he gave up now…  
  
His hand grasped at his cross, holding onto it as if for dear life. He had promised. He had made a promised to Tala that he wouldn't leave, and the Russian boy had taken him at his word. If he gave up now, if he didn't keep trying…  
  
"I promise I won't give up." He clutched the cross even tighter. "Please, someone give me a sign."  
  
Ah. Short chappie. Sorry. ^.^  
  
So now the torture has begun. It's all downhill from here, but there will be another majorly happy Tala/Kai moment soon. For everyone who has been patiently awaiting torture, you will get it. Some much of it that you may start to hate me. ^.^  
  
So, will Kai find Tala before things get worse? You'll find out this weekend. ^.^ So please review, and I'll see you all then!  
  
Oh, and go read Kiina's fic, "When Our Fists Meet" It's hilarious! ^.^ 


	48. Dirty Dealings

Logic in the words of my boss, Joe L. - "Look, Rachael. Some guys drink, some guys do drugs, some guys beat their wives. I gamble, and personally, I think that's the best option of the three."  
  
With that being said, here is the long awaited update. Enjoy!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 48  
  
Normal POV  
  
Tala winced as he felt strong hands knot in his hair, pulling him roughly to his feet. His legs were like jelly, barely able to support his weight, and he swayed slightly, earning a chuckle from the man in front of him. Sapphire eyes raised, fixing a glare that would have made other men shrink away. Boris however, remained unfazed.  
  
"Still giving me that look?" Boris crooned, brushed shards of glass off of Tala's narrow shoulders with false care. "You don't learn quickly, do you?"  
  
Tala remained silent, knowing that anything he could say would only make the situation worse. Boris wasn't in the mood to negotiate or listen to reason. There was a specific thought running through his mind, and nothing would dissuade him.  
  
Reaching out, Boris cupped the side of Tala's face and laughed with the boy turned his head away just slightly. He rubbed a bloody cheek with his thumb, dislodging a tiny splinter of glass from the pale skin. "Like a wounded animal." He observed thoughtfully. "Injured and still fighting."  
  
A low growl escaped Tala's throat. He hadn't meant to make a noise, but it came anyway. The growl was like instinct, a warning sign that came involuntarily.  
  
"Tala." Boris began slowly, as the boy shied away from his hand. He leaned forward, moving his body closer to the boy's, and narrowing his chances of escape. "I believe you and I had a deal."  
  
The sapphire eyes narrowed. A deal? Boris was still going on about that? "I would have figured that beating you to a bloody pulp was enough to tell you what I thought about your deal." Tala replied, his voice soft and a little harsh. The smirk slowly returned to his lips.  
  
The hands tightened on Tala's face. He winced, fearing that the man would leave bruises that he would have to explain to Kai later. The last thing he wanted to do was have to put Kai though listening to what happened.  
  
"Maybe so. But the situation still stands."  
  
Regaining some his boldness, Tala reached up and batted the invading hand away. "Bullshit." He growled threateningly. "If you try that again, I swear I'll kill you this time."  
  
Boris laughed and out his face close to Tala's gripping his bruised arm painfully. "Such big words for such a weak creature."  
  
His grip loosened, and he let his hand travel from the red head's arm, down his side, smirking as the boy tried to squirm away. He could just barely feel the fine tremble that ran through his body at the touch.  
  
"But what if killing me wouldn't stop anything from happening?"  
  
Tala's eyes narrowed just slightly, hardly enough to be noticed. He didn't like the way the old man's word sounded. "What?"  
  
The arm snaked around Tala's waist, pulling the small body closer. Tensing, Tala tried to pull away.   
  
"It would be all too easy," Boris began, evidently enjoying the game he was playing with the young blader. "for me to summon one of my guards to find Kai."  
  
The angry fire returned to Tala's eyes instantly at the mention of Kai's name. He didn't even want the man to utter Kai's name. "What?" he spat.  
  
Boris smirked, using his free hand to brush some of Tala's bangs away from his face. "Any of the guards here would be more than willing to…have a go at young Kai." He paused, leaning forward and slowly licking at a small trail of blood that trickled down Tala's face. His tongue lingered on the skin, evidently enjoying the taste. Disgusted, Tala cringed away.  
  
"It would be simply for one of them to take Kai off to a side room alone." He continued, almost gleeful. He knew the pain his words would cause in Tala. After all, he had seen them together. "And with so many cameras in the abbey, I could easily provide you with a front row seat to the…entertainment."  
  
The mere thought of someone laying their filthy hands on Kai's untainted body was enough to almost send Tala over the edge. But unsure of what the man had planned, he tried to remain as impassive as possible. There wasn't anyway of telling whether or not Kai was already in danger. To provoke Boris would be ill advised.  
  
"Bastard."  
  
"And young Kai is so frail. It's almost as through he's made of glass. Surely such a violent assault would cause him harm in some way, don't you think?"  
  
Tala was trembling with rage now. All the pain he had felt from Boris's hits had faded to the background now. His anger towards Boris and concern for his boyfriend was more than enough to fuel him.  
  
"If anyone lays their filthy hands on Kai, I swear I will rip out their windpipes and castrate them with my bare hands."  
  
Boris chuckled, amused by the violent way in which Tala intended to defend Kai's honor and dignity. "Such a violent boy. But then, it would still do no good. Young Kai would still have suffered by then." He paused thoughtfully. "I do wonder, what he would feel like."  
  
At long last, enough was enough. Tired of hearing Boris's words and being sent disturbing mental images, Tala surged forward. He fully intended to make the director shut up by any means necessary. Boris however, had already anticipated the movement, and quickly grasped his wrists, forcing him back against the wall. Tala winced, feeling a new pain in his back.  
  
"Of course," Boris whispered. "That doesn't have to happen. If you would behave in accordance to our deal, Kai would be fine."  
  
Tala squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the proximity of Boris's body and his warm breath on his face. Slowly his body began to relax, and his rage slowly faded away. Even though his mind was shooting off in a thousand directions at once, he knew there was only one option. There had always only been one option.  
  
"Fine." He whispered, turning his head away in submission. "I'll do what you want."  
  
Grinning fiendishly, Boris wasted in time. He leaned in, and began to kiss and nip at the delicate skin of Tala's neck. The red haired boy cringed as he felt the sharp bites and the grip on his wrists tightened.   
  
He closed his eyes, trying to block in all out and send his mind to a more peaceful place. "You promise me. You won't do anything to Kai."  
  
Boris pulled back. "You're so concerned for that boy. But you have my word." He released Tala's arms, and the boy looked on in confusion. Hadn't he just agreed in exchange for Kai's safety?  
  
Seeing the boy's confused expression, Boris smirked. "You a like a fine wine. Meant to be enjoyed in small intervals over a long period of time."  
  
Hmm…this didn't come out exactly like I had hoped, but I'm too tired to even think clearly. ^.^ Updates have been a little slow, but I'm trying to get back on track, so thanks for being patient. As always, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Next chapter, I'm going to take the time to thank everyone personally.  
  
Anyway, please review, and I'll have the next part up this weekend, as well as (hopefully) the next part to Win Me Back, which has been horribly neglected. ^.^;  
  
Ja ne! 


	49. Bitter Cycle

*Dressed up in Ryuichi's Kumagoro costume from Gravitation* Oi minna, na no da! ^.^ Sorry that this update is SO late. My life somehow got busy. O.o Anyway, here's the next chappy!  
  
WARNING!!! This chapter contains a lemonish scene between Tala and Kai. It's still R rated, but if you don't want to read it, skip it! ^.^   
  
Enjoy, na no da! ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 49  
  
Normal POV  
  
Slowly, Tala placed one foot in front of the other, his hand trailing across the cool, smooth stones that made up the abbey walls. His legs were weak and shaky, but he tried to ignore it and steady himself as he continued on. All he wanted was to get away. To be as far away as possible from Boris's office.  
  
Boris had let him go, which was a huge shock in itself. The old man had simply let him walk away, without a single protest or idle threat. His words and actions before had been enough to drive in the point.  
  
'You are like a fine wine. Meant to be enjoyed over time.'  
  
Tala shuddered. There was no doubt in his mind that his trouble wasn't over. Boris fully intended to make him suffer as long as possible. It would be a huge price to pay to keep Kai safe. Or, at least as safe as anyone could be while they were living in this abbey.  
  
A bitter laugh rose inside of Tala. It really was a bitter cycle. Backstabbing and betrayal were the only ways to keep yourself safe; betray others before they betray you. But to keep the people you loved safe…  
  
  
  
Tala shook his head. That option had never come up before. All the boys were taught to hate, to block any and all emotions that were even remotely related to love and affection. It was all a part of their training, all a part of what they had been raised to be. And yet….  
  
It was ironic, that the best-trained and strongest bladers in the entire complex were the only ones that denied these ideals. Kai, who had been born (or created, Tala could never be absolutely positive which it was) in the forsaken place, and Tala who had been there for as long he could remember, had fallen in love. And with, of all people, each other.   
  
Funny how life worked out sometimes.  
  
"Tala!"  
  
The voice shook Tala from his thoughts, and he raised his eyes from where they had been watching his feet move along. A strong hand gripped his shoulder, and he turned his head slowly, finding himself staring into brilliant scarlet eyes.  
  
'Kai.' The faintest hint of a smile crept over his face, relief flooding him as assured himself that Kai was safe. No one had gotten to him, not yet. And never, if Tala could do anything about it.  
  
"Tala! Are you alright?" his voice was a hushed whisper, his face barely masking concern. Kai was obviously keeping the ever-present glass eyes in mind.  
  
Gently, Tala pried the boy's hand from his shoulder, gently rubbing his finger against the palm in a silent signal that Kai should follow him. then without a word, he continued to walk.  
  
He wanted to talk to Kai, needed to talk to Kai, but this was not the place. Tala was feeling paranoid, and for good reason. He had no doubts that Boris was watching them even now, keeping close tabs on their movements and actions. Silently, he thanked for Boris for training them so well in espionage and how to not be noticed. All that training coming in handy at last.  
  
Taking the hint, Kai fell into step behind the boy as he walked; keeping a safe distance between them. More than anything, he wanted to rush up and hug Tala, but he held himself back, relying on years of training and habit to maintain self control. There was a dazed, slightly troubled look in his boyfriend's azure eyes, and he didn't like it one bit.  
  
  
  
Tala had been with Boris alone for too long; there was no telling what could have happened. And Kai, in all of his well-bred paranoia, feared the worst.  
  
Slowly, they reached Tala's room, and the crimson haired boy pushed open the door and stepped inside with Kai not far behind. He sank to the bed with a sigh, as Kai quietly closed the door and stood just inside the room, watching Tala with undeniable concern. Seeing his expression, Tala smiled softly, trying to reassure him.  
  
"Sorry. I didn't want anyone to see us talking." He explained. Kai shrugged.  
  
"I figured as much."  
  
Shifting, Tala pulled one of his legs onto the bed and tilted his head to examine Kai. "You look so worried."  
  
"I am worried." Kai responded, still not moving from his spot. His voice was soft. "What did Boris want? Are you ok?"  
  
Tala laughed softly, feeling much better than he had mere moment before. It was nice to see that Kai cared that much. "He just wanted to yell, that all. I'm fine." He lied. "What did Bryan want?"  
  
'And the next time I see your little boyfriend, I'm going to strip him naked and fuck him until he screams for mercy!'  
  
Kai shook his head, deciding it best not tell Tala about what Bryan had said. There was no point in putting anymore pressure on him. besides, Bryan would never lay a hand on Tala so long as Kai lived.  
  
"He just wanted to hear himself talk."  
  
Tala grinned, relieved. "That sounds about right." Propping his head up with his hand, he cocked a finger at Kai. There was no reason why the boy should be standing so far away. "Come here."  
  
The silver haired teen obliged. When he was within arms reach, Tala wrapped an arm around his neck and gently pulled his face down to meet his. He pressed his lips against Kai's, nibbling softly to get the other boy to open his mouth.  
  
A small whimper of contentment escaped Kai's throat, and Tala reluctantly pulled away. Smiling, he bushed some stray silver bangs away from the pale face and pulled his slender frame closer so that Kai sat on his lap, straddling his waist.  
  
"Cheer up." He whispered, tightening his grip on Kai's waist. "I hate seeing you look sad."  
  
"I'm not sad."  
  
"Good." He smiled, flopping back on the bed. Kai looked down at him. "Because I love you that much more when you're happy."  
  
"Really now." Kai smirked and leaned down to plant a long kiss on Tala's lips.  
  
Tala wound his arms around Kai's neck, playing fondly with the silver hair. He would let Kai be dominant. For the moment.  
  
Lowering his hands to Kai's waist, he flipped the boy over in one quick movement, pressing against the bed and crawling on top of him. Scarlet eyes looked up in surprise. He nuzzled the pale face affectionately.  
  
"You're so adorable, Kai."  
  
Gently, he began to place small, light kisses on Kai's neck, letting on of his hands trail up the other boy's shirt. His hand roamed over the flat stomach, feeling the slight shivers his touch caused.  
  
'I've never been…intimate…with anyone. I don't want my first time to be with Boris. Unwilling or not.'  
  
Kai whimpered softly and his scarlet eyes closed slowly and Tala's hand slipped beneath the waistband of his pants.  
  
'I want it to be with the person I love.'  
  
Tala raised his head from Kai's neck, moving to look at Kai's face. The other boy was breathing hard, his eyes closed.  
  
"Kai."   
  
The scarlet eyes opened slowly.  
  
Tala lowered his face slightly, looking directly into Kai's eyes with a serious expression on his face. "Are you…sure you want to do this?"  
  
Kai nodded. "Yes." His words sounded breathless. "I'm sure."  
  
"Yeah?" there was another nod. "Ok. But…if at any point you change your mind, tell me, and I'll stop. No questions asked and no hard feelings, ok?"  
  
  
  
Wrapping his arms around Tala's neck, Kai nodded again.   
  
~*~*~  
  
Breathing heavily, Tala slowly opened his eyes, looking down at Kai. His face looked slightly pained, a few stray tears running from his scarlet eyes. He winced, and pulled the trembling boy closer.  
  
"Kai." He panted. "Does it hurt really badly?"  
  
Kai shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. It did hurt, but he didn't want Tala to know that. "not really."   
  
"Liar." Tala remarked. "Do you want me to stop?" he was concerned, Kai was still shaking slightly. He rubbed the boy's back, trying to help sooth him.  
  
Another shake of the head. "N-no. Keep going."  
  
"Ok." Carefully, Tala lowered him back down, brushing a few strands of damp silver hair away from the breathless face.  
  
Kai closed his eyes tighter, wincing in pain as he felt Tala thrust back in. He hadn't thought it would hurt so much.   
  
Swallowing back a moan, Tala reached his hand down to Kai's waist, trying to cover the boy's pain with pleasure. He didn't want to hurt Kai; he was trying to be as gentle as possible.  
  
Moaning, Kai rolled his head to the side, closing his eyes and arching his back against the bed. It still hurt, but the pain seemed further away now. He tightened his grip around Tala's neck and cried out as he felt his release.  
  
Breathing heavily, Tala buried his head in Kai's neck, nipping it hard in reaction to his own climax. He hadn't meant to bite down so roughly, but he couldn't help it.  
  
Trying to catch his breath, Tala collapsed on the bed, pulling Kai into a tight embrace. Both boys were sweaty and sticky, but neither seemed to mind. There was a small spot of blood on Kai's neck from where Tala had marked him. Tala licked away.  
  
When he had recovered a bit more, Tala slowly lifted his head, raising his eyes to meet with Kai's. the other boy looked as breathless as he did.   
  
"Kai, You ok?"  
  
Kai nodded and pulled him into a tight hug. Placing a small kiss on the pale neck, Tala whispered, "I love you Kai."  
  
*Still dressed like Kumagoro* O.O Oh man, did I really write that? That was my first lemonish scene. It's pretty hard to write, especially when you have to be on the look out for small siblings/parents. ^.^;  
  
Anyway, please review, and let me know what you thought. Next chapter and an update for WMB will be up within the next few days. Ja ne, na no da! 


	50. Origins

It's 3 am, do you know where your children are? ^.^  
  
Sorry about the late updates guys. Between school and the holidays things have been pretty busy. And sorry about the shortness of this chapter. It really is 3 am. ^.^; there aren't any warnings for this chapter, so read on and enjoy. This is the last chapter before torture and NCS.   
  
Thank you to everyone for the reviews. They keep me alive. ^.^  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 50  
  
Normal POV  
  
Kai sighed, lying on his stomach, looking up at Tala who rested against the headboard of the bed. He was resting, recuperating, but not yet ready to sleep. Although both knew that it was getting late and that they both should at least take a stab at trying to sleep, neither necessarily wanted to try.  
  
Smiling, Kai held some unruly silver hair away from his face and gave Tala a long look. "Hey, Tala."  
  
Tala looked down at him. It had been a while since either of them had spoken. "Yeah?"  
  
Kai looked away, staring straight ahead in the darkness. "Tell me about your family. What you remember at least."  
  
Tala was more than a little surprised by the question; he couldn't remember anyone ever asking him that before. And to be honest, he hadn't even put any thought into the concept of his family in the past few years. They simply didn't matter to him; they weren't a part of his life.  
  
  
  
"Why?"  
  
A little annoyed by the abrupt answer, Kai glared. "Curious."  
  
Despite himself, Tala smiled. Deep down, he really was glad that Kai cared enough to ask. Gently, ran his fingers through Kai's hair and thought for a moment. It was kind of pathetic really, that he actually had to think to be able to tell anyone about his family.  
  
"I don't really remember much." He admitted. Looking away, he focused his attention on the dark window, not really surprised to see a few stray flake of snow drifting down. "I was brought here when I was very young, so most of my life before that is kind of a blur."  
  
Kai remained silent, waiting for him to continue.  
  
Tala pondered for a moment before going on. "As far as I know, I'm an only child, but who knows if that might have changed." He shrugged. "I don't think I ever knew my father, and I really don't remember my mother." He smiled almost sheepishly. "I see her in my dreams sometimes, though. As corny as that sounds."   
  
He looked down at Kai, who had rested his head on his arms and was silently staring up at his companion with a sorrowful expression. He didn't respond to anything Tala had said, so the red haired blader continued.  
  
  
  
"I was brought here when I was little, and the rest is history, I guess. I haven't seen her since."  
  
Kai looked away, focusing his eyes elsewhere. He had expected to hear as much. Most of the people living in the abbey had similar, if not identical stories. The time when most of the boys had entered the institution had been a rough one; he wasn't shocking to hear that some families had been forced to give up their children.  
  
"Do you blame them?" he asked softly.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Putting you in this place."  
  
Tala shook his head. Although he had never really thought about it that way, he knew the answer. "No. Not really. I don't think they could have known."  
  
Sighing, Kai rolled over onto his back and draped an arm over his forehead. At least Tala was smart enough to realize that was no way that any family members of the people who resided in the abbey knew what was going to happen. That is, if they even knew where their child had been taken. Kai had a feeling that many children had been taken away by force or in secret.  
  
"How about your family Kai?" Tala asked, tilting his head back to look down at his boyfriend from a better angle.  
  
Kai stared up at the ceiling, trying to decide how he wanted to answer that. There were plenty of good cover stories and lies he could use, but he really didn't feel like lying to Tala.   
  
"I don't have one."  
  
"What about Voltaire?"  
  
Kai shook his head and smiled softly. "We aren't really related."  
  
Tala hesitated, wanting to phrase his questions the right way. It took a lot for Kai to open up about anything in his past, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity.  
  
"What about your mother and father?"  
  
Kai laughed softly. "I don't really have one true mother or father." He directed his eyes to look back at Tala. "See, nature made you perfect; for me, it was science."  
  
Tala fell silent. He had figured about as much, but he had never really wanted to pursue the issue. It seemed like something that would be a touchy subject, and he wasn't too keen on reopening old wounds.  
  
"You knew that already, didn't you Tala?"  
  
"I wasn't sure." Tala admitted. "But everyone heard rumors."  
  
Kai smiled and lay his head down, silver hair fanning across his face. "Does it change anything?"  
  
Surprised that he would think something like that, Tala glared down at him. "Of course not. You're still Kai. It doesn't matter."  
  
Kai didn't respond, but even Tala could see that look of relief etched across his face. It was easy to tell that this was a point of insecurity for the boy.  
  
"Besides," he continued, fondly playing with the dark blue hair at the base of Kai's neck. "As much as I hate to say anything nice about the man, Boris did a pretty good job with you."  
  
Kai smiled and closed his eyes. It felt kind of nice to get everything out in the open and over with. "I guess I'll accept that as a compliment."   
  
*Is completely asleep with a sign on her forehead that says, 'Thanks for reading, and please review!'* Zzzzzzzzzz…. 


	51. Minx

I'M ALIVE! WHOOOO! Ahhh....it's great to be back after such a long time. School, work and the slacker sleeping within me kinda swallowed me up. . It's been a loooong 5 months, but finally I have an update for you all. . I certainly hope your patience will end up to be worth it. Onward!  
  
When Our Eyes Meet - Part 51 Normal POV  
  
When Tala awoke the next morning to the shower of the shower running, he was unaware that he had even fallen asleep. The last thing he remembered from the night before was laying in bed next to Kai; constantly talking about absolutely nothing in particular. He smiled, and rolled over onto the cold sheets where Kai had once lain.  
  
Bastard. Probably got up forever ago and didn't even bother to wake him up. Deep down, Tala was a little disappointed that he had wasted valuable 'stare at Kai while he sleeps' time. Feh. Sleep. Who needed it?  
  
He groaned softly and rolled out of bed, placing his feet on the cold floor. His brain still felt muggy and not quite up to proper speed yet. The events of the night before all seemed like a dream. A very, very pleasant dream.  
  
With eyes still half closed from sleep, he shuffled over to the bathroom and pushed open the down as quietly as possible. If Kai wasn't going to be kind enough to wake him up, then he wasn't going to get to shower in peace. It was one of Tala's new found 'lover' privileges; to be able to sneak up on and sexually harass your boyfriend in the shower.  
  
There was fairly thick cloud of steam hanging over the bathroom and Tala smirked. Anything that would obscure Kai's view of him only made things more fun. He approached the shower cautiously, and in one quick movement, pushed aside the shower curtain and stepped inside, wrapping his arms around the slim waist of his boyfriend.  
  
He nuzzled the soft blue hair at the base of Kai's neck. "Kaaaaiii."  
  
"Fucking Tala."  
  
Kai could feel Tala's lips curl into a smirk against the skin of his shoulder. "Did I scare you, SWEETIE?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're trembling."  
  
Smiling to himself, Kai pulled Tala's arms away from his waist and turned, pressing his forehead to Tala's. "Your hands are cold." He smirked, and pressed his lips to Tala's.  
  
"Liar." Tala pulled his lips away and gently pressed them to Kai's forehead. Slowly, he began to leave a trail of kisses down to his neck, speaking in short, punctuated sentences.  
  
"You. Didn't. Wake. Me up."  
  
"Hn. You looked peaceful. Didn't want to risk facing your wrath." Kai mumbled, reaching a hand up to play with Tala's hair, now wet from the shower spray. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was reminded of a time when he first came back home to the abbey, when he and Tala and stood outside on the roof in the rain. A lot had changed, and not all for the better. "Tala...." There was a playful nip at his neck. "Ow! That hurt damnit."  
  
Tala chuckled softly and licked the sore spot fondly. "Sorry."  
  
"Christ Tala. It's not even 6:30 in the morning and already you're trying to get laid."  
  
"Can't help it." came the mumbled response between kisses. "You look you really, really edible right now."  
  
Kai sighed. 'I've created a monster.' Gently, he pushed at Tala's shoulders, forcing the boy to break contact with his lips and earning a grumble of protest. "Not now, Tala."  
  
"What? Why?" Tala pouted for possibly the first time in his life. "But I want you..."  
  
Glancing down quickly, Kai smirked at his whining lover. "So I can see." his amused expression faded away and became more serious. "But not now. I'm still recuperating from last night. My body needs time to rest. Please? Give me until tonight, then I promise you can ravage me all you want. Please?" He titled his head to the side and gave Tala a look that only made the boy want to jump him even more.  
  
But for the sake of his lover, he held his primordial lust in check. "Sure. If that's what you want....but...."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can we at least make out a little bit?"  
  
A vein twitched somewhere in the vicinity of Kai's left eye. He pushed Tala's face away and stepped quickly out of the shower.  
  
"You horny bastard. You're impossible."  
  
Sticking his head out from underneath the spray, Tala watched as Kai began to towel himself off. There were few things cuter than Kai annoyed. Kai pissed off, however, was an underlay different matter.  
  
"But you said no sex. That isn't really sex."  
  
"Pervert." Kai mumbled, wrapping his towel around his waist. He had neglected to bring clothes with him into the bathroom. After all, it wasn't like Tala hadn't seen him naked and vulnerable before. "Insatiable pervert."  
  
Tala smiled and leaned his head against the wall of the shower. "I was just kidding."  
  
Kai gave him a skeptical look and shook his head, amused. "Whatever. Enjoy your shower. Maybe you should take care of your little 'problem' down there." he winked and Tala laughed.  
  
"You could help."  
  
"Not until tonight."  
  
Tala shrugged. "It was worth a try."  
  
Slowly, Kai walked over and gave his boyfriend a long kiss. When they parted, he smiled and whispered next to Tala's ear. "Have fun." Still smiling, he turned and left, giving Tala a long, seductive look over his shoulder as the door closed.  
  
When he was alone, Tala shook his head and left. "Fucking minx. You better keep your promise about tonight."  
  
Tala finished with his shower and emerged slowly from the bathroom, trying to shake the water from his long hair. He had contemplated cutting it all off, but he had a feeling Kai would throw a fit if he did.  
  
"Hey Kai." he turned and tossed the towel from his head back into the bathroom. He looked back into the bedroom. "You didn't-"  
  
He froze. Standing around their bed were four very large and very dangerous looking abbey gaurds, all leering down at something on the bed.  
  
"Kai..."  
  
"Good morning Tala."  
  
His head whipped to the side, wide eyes taking in a smirking and very smug looking Boris.  
  
The older man gestured towards the bed. "I'm so glad you could join us in the fun. The show is about to begin."  
  
Feh. Lame cliff hanger? It's harder than I thought getting back into the swing of things. But I think my mojo is getting back together. I'm gonna have to read more Beyblade fics to get my juices flowing again. Ya know, there are a lot more Mary Sue's in this category than I seem to remember there being. No offense to anyone who writes those, of course. . Anyway, there'll be an update soon hopefully. No more loooong hiatus's here. . if I can keep on task. Last night I had the really bizarre idea for a Naruto fic with a pseudo romantic pairing between Orochimaru and Sasuke. Feh. Need sleep. Please Reveiw! . 


	52. Bad Situation

**Slightly important note:** **I am currently looking for beta readers. I need three; one for this fic, and two for Naruto fics I'm working on. (Of course, if I can only get one, that's perfectly fine. I just need something....; )If you're interested, IM me on AIM at Shukakuu or email me. .**

**Onward....**

**WARNING! Bad language and some slight Non-con. **

When Our Eyes Meet - Part 52

Normal POV

Boris looked down at his young student and grinned. "The show is about to begin."

"Show? What show?! What the hell are you doing!?"

"Come now Tala. I know you aren't slow." Boris gesticulated over his shoulder towards the bed and the guards. He knew it would take Tala long to figure things out. He wasn't an idiot, and even if he _couldn't_ see what was going on.... "I thought you might like to support Kai during this....difficult time."

Stretching his neck, Tala could look over Boris's shoulders and see the bed...see Kai...naked...the guards holding him down....

"Kai!" He tried to move past Boris and get to the bed. If he could just get his hands on those guards, he'd rip them limb from limb for even _touching_ Kai.

A rough hand grabbed his upper arm, pulling him back. He spun around, trying to yank his arm away until he thought his shoulder would pull right out of it's socket. He didn't care; a broken arm was a lot better than what Kai would go through if he didn't help him. "Let go of me! Let go you bastard!"

A horrible, ugly veil fell over Boris's eyes. All of these years spent conditioning these boys to not give a damn about anyone or anything, and here it was, all that work going right down the drain. Tala wasn't supposed to care what happened to Kai. He was supposed to be able to sit and watch and not bat an eyelash if Kai screamed or cried. All that work for nothing. Everything wasted over something so stupid.

He pulled roughly on Tala's arm, trying to tear the boys eyes away from and make him face him. "Look at me. Look at me, you bitch." he growled and the cerulean eyes flickered towards him. "I warned you. I WARNED you!" he pulled the boy's arm again for emphasis.

The look in Boris's eyes was like nothing Tala had ever seen before. He looked angry and he looked crazed. For a moment, there was a sharp stab of fear somewhere in Tala's chest. It was really going to happen. Boris was really going to...

"Let go! Don't you dare lay a hand on Kai!" His arm was starting to hurt more from Boris's grip than from pulling. Boris was going to break his arm, he was going to snap the bone.

"I warned you about getting involved with him Tala! But you two boys wanted to fuck around, so that's exactly what you'll get." His free hand grabbed at Tala's wet hair, twisting his fingers between the strands and forcing his head around. "Watch."

"No..." Tala could see the guards moving around, holding Kai's wrists and legs as one of the men climbed on top. As the bed dipped with the heavy weight, Tala tried to look away. He couldn't' watch this. He couldn't see this happen to someone he cared about. "Please...don't do this. I'll do anything..."

"Reduced to begging, now are we?" the older man's voice was silky and calm now. He was finally in control and knew it. Over all the boys might have had the upper hand, but when their weaknesses were played correctly, they were helpless. Mere puppets to him. "What will you do to stop this, Tala?"

"I..."

"Tala. Shut up."

Boris looked up from Tala's desperate face, surprised to hear the other boy speak. Kai had been silent so far; stubbornly refusing to give them the satisfaction of hearing him beg.

"Don't do anything stupid Tala." he continued, watching the guard's face above him cautiously. He knew exactly what Tala was going to say and refused to let him sacrifice himself solely for his sake. "Don't worry. These fat bastards don't scare me."

The guard above him leaned down and mumbled something Tala and Boris couldn't hear, but Kai simply smirked in return, undaunted.

"Your dick's so small I probably won't feel it anyway."

The smallest wave of relief brushed over Tala. Even with what he was about to face, Kai was still holding himself together. At least for now. 'Same old Kai...'

Boris frowned, clearly not happy with Kai's flippant attitude. He wanted fear from the boy, not arrogance. "We'll see. Do what you want to him."

Kai closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself for what he knew was coming. He had to fake his way through this; pretend like nothing was wrong so Tala wouldn't be more worried.

The pain hit him like a shot. His body felt like it was being split apart and despite his best efforts, the smallest gasp of pain escaped his lips.

"Do you feel that?"

Kai twisted his head away, closing his eyes and trying to block everything out. His body wanted to move, to get away from the pain, but the grip on his arms and legs was still too tight.

"How about this?" the man thrust forward and Kai cried out, unable to help himself. He didn't imagine that it would hurt so badly. It hadn't like this with Tala. His eyes were watering with pain and he tried to squirm away. In the background, he could hear Tala, cursing and yelling as he tried to break away from Boris. He forced himself to look up and stare into the eyes of his grinning attacker.

"You motherfucker. I'm going to kill you." he whispered, as the man dipped his head down to suck on Kai's pale neck.

"Mm...when I'm finished with you, you'll be begging me for more."

**Ta da. There you have it. Not my fav chapter so far but, oh well. Please leave a review and let me know if you're interested in being my Beta/ muse. .**


	53. Breaking

OMG I'm ALIVE! How long has it been? Since August? OH! I am a terrible person! falls into a ditch

When Our Eyes Meet - Part 53

Normal POV

It wasn't until Boris and his guards had left that Tala was able to shake himself free of the horrified, frozen place he had disappeared to in his mind. He had watched his best friend, his boy friend his lover be raped. Had watched as the guards took turns holding Kai's arms and legs to the bed and assulted him one right after the other. He had listened to the insults and demeaning, horrible things they had said to the person he loved,

And he had done nothing.

Boris had held his arms until they threatened to snap in half, smiling and laughing as he watched Tala try desperately try to reach his lover on the bed and fail. He took pleasure in the way Kai finally broke down and cried, giving into the raw human emotion that came with being violated and turned into an object over and over again. Eventually Tala stopped struggling and fighting and cursing. He just stared, empty eyed and silent, slowing sliding to the ground and just staring at the horror show in front of them.

When it had finally ended, when one of the guards had refused to take his turn, Kai had been released and his attackers gave their own final insulting goodbyes and filed out into the hall, as per Boris's orders. They had been alone in the room, Kai laying on the bed, trembling violently and whimpering, Tala stone still on the floor, just staring.

Boris had laughed, run his hands once through Tala's hair and approached Kai, staring down with lust and contempt at the vulnerable figure. He had said something Tala couldn't hear, and spit at the once strong blader, then abandoned them in the room.

It seemed like forever before Tala finally stood, still numb, and walked on stiff legs towards the bed. He was crying silently, hesitating every few steps, afraid of what he was going to see when he got closer.

"Kai..."

His lover didn't answer, didn't give any sign that he had even heard Tala call him.

"Kai...Kai..please."

He was close enough to see, but he closed his eyes and tried to stop the shivering he felt coming from inside himself before he opened his eyes and faced him.

"Oh God."

Kai was laying on his side, eyes wide and terrified, just staring at an empty space in front of him. His pale neck was dotted with bite marks just beginning to bruise. His wrists and ankles were already swollen and discolored from being held while he struggled. Between his legs and on the bed was semen and blood, mixing into a disgusting pink fluid. Tala closed his eyes.

"Oh God. Kai."

He crawled onto the bed without realizing it, crawled through the mess and grabbed Kai from around the shoulders, pulling him up towards his chest.

"Kai. Oh my God."

Kai hadn't even reacted to being pulled off the bed. He was trembling so violently in Tala's arms that Tala feared he would never stop. The thought that Kai might suddenly stop breathing entered his mind and rocked His body back and forth.

"I am so sorry. Kai. I am so sorry."

He began to chant the words over and over, stumbling only to choke out a more painful sob and clutch Kai tighter.

Kai let out something between a whimper and a wail and clenched up in Tala's embrace. He rolled his head downwards against Tala's shoulder and cried. Tala responded by holding him tighter and continued to chant until Kai fell silent again.

"I should have fought harder to get away from Boris and get to you. I should have ripped my arm off to get away. I should...oh God. I should have let him do what he wanted with me. He would have left you alone. Oh God."

Kai couldn't remember anything from the time Boris had stepped up to the bed until he woke up to the sound of Tala whispering. A blanket had been wrapped around his body, covering up the wounds and the blood and the semen. His head was on Tala's leg, Tala's fingers in his hair, and Tala was whispering over and over again.

He kept saying he was sorry.

Kai couldn't understand. Tala kept saying he was sorry, but what had he done? It wasn't his fault. It was Kai's own fault. If he had just stayed strong and not shown any emotion, everything would have been okay. It was his fault, for doing something that had made the guards want to touch him. It was his fault that Tala had had to see it.

He closed his eyes and let out an uneven breath. How would he be able to face Tala after that. After Tala had seen him weak and demeaned. Helpless and vulnerable. All the things he was supposed to be, the things that Tala loved, were gone. How could he look Tala in the eyes, after proving to be everything that they had been taught to despise?

What would Tala do, when the obligatory comforting time was over? When morning came, would Tala leave? Stop talking to him?

Hate him?

He curled himself up tighter, hardly even noticing how badly the rest of his body hurt. Somewhere above him, he could still hear Tala chanting.

"It's my fault. Why didn't I do something? I'm so sorry."

'I'm so sorry Tala.'

And that's that. Short chapter, very disappointing. Hopefully now I'll be into the whole update frequently thing. I have time now and all. laughs

Sadly, this is not the end of the pain and torture for Kai and Tala. I know, I'm awful. And this isn't the last straw either. There will be a last straw for Tala and Kai, and that's were the story will take a turn. We still have a ways to go .; What the hell have I gotten myself into? He he.

Anyway, leave a review if you're still reading, and hopefully I'll update soon .


	54. Unsung Heros

_I've come to realize that when you leave a story sitting idle for so long, trying to jump back into it is like waking up from a nap while on a long car trip. (Where are we? What state are we in?) Despite the confusion, however, I will move forward! After all, it's the least I can do for everyone who's been so loyal to me, and to this story._

_Thank you, and I hope you will enjoy it._

* * *

When Our Eyes Meet - Part 54

Kai closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. He wanted to sleep and let the memories and time help the pain and humiliation fade. If he could only slip into unconsciousness, everything would be okay. He just needed a break from the obsessive thoughts of what he should have done. Playing the night over and over in his mind wasn't going to help, he thought, taking a deep breath and holding it for as long as he could. What was done was done, and there wasn't anyway to change it. Moreover, Kai was certain that Tala didn't want a boyfriend who would let himself be so damaged.

He felt a strange stinging feeling surface behind his closed eyelids at the thought of Tala. The older boy hadn't uttered a single word since his mournful, regretful chant nearly an hour ago. He just sat silently, his long fingers woven in Kai's hair, completely motionless. Kai didn't like it. Tala was hard enough to read when he was acting normal, now that he was silent and still it was nearly impossible. Kai had no way of telling if his boyfriend was angry, upset, or worse, indifferent.

Uncomfortable with the thought, Kai stirred, shifting his head on Tala's knee until his head rested in a more comfortable position. He couldn't afford to think about that. The more he worried, the less likely he was to ever sleep. He needed to be calm. His mind needed to be empty of thoughts and memories, just a void in his skull, nothing else.

Kai felt himself drifting slowly. Chunks of time were disappearing, only to be replaced by violent, unbidden thoughts and memories. More than once he snapped awake in a panic, certain that he felt the harsh grips of foreign hands on his wrists and ankles. It would take a long time before his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he felt assured that no one was actually there. His head was still in Tala's lap, familiar fingers still resting in his hair.

Kai was never going to be able to sleep, Tala was sure of it. He listened intently to the boy's breathing, trying to hear the tell-tale deep inhale and stilling of his shaking shoulders that indicated Kai had fallen asleep. It felt strange. After so many nights of wanting nothing more than for Kai to stay awake, just so that they could be together, it didn't feel right to be hoping, to be _praying_ that he fell asleep and stayed that way. It disturbed him to realize that he didn't want Kai to wake up. The thought felt like a betrayal, as though somehow he were wishing something horrible on him, but in truth, he just wanted Kai to have peace. Kai needed time to heal and recover.

Below his hand, Tala heard a tell-tale whimper, followed by a sudden violent jerk that almost caused Kai's head to roll off of his leg. The shivering that had been raking Kai's body ever since Boris left suddenly returned, and Tala had to close his eyes.

What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to tell Kai that what had happened to him was okay? That when morning came everything would be back to normal, and they would leave the room as always to get breakfast and go train and if nothing had happened? How was he supposed to behave? Did Kai want to be held and reassured, or would he rather that Tala stayed as far away as possible? He didn't know, and worse, he didn't know how to ask. It seemed insensitive to not instinctively know how he was to behave. So he simply sat there, waiting for Kai to make the first move and give him some sign of how he wanted to move forward.

Tala awoke with a start, not even remembering how or when he had fallen asleep. He felt dazed; not quite sure of where he was, how Kai was or what time it was. The room was still dark, the sun not yet risen high enough to peek through the heavy curtains. He looked around cautiously. Something had shocked him out of his trance, but he couldn't put his finger on what. A noise? Some movement from Kai? He peered down through the darkness. Kai's face was troubled but still. The boy was still, thankfully, fast asleep. Now a little more than wary, Tala tried to look through the shadows and settle the unsettling feeling that something had woken him up. Had something fallen? Or was it just the normal groans of the Abbey that roused him? He listened carefully, trying to think, and jumped in sudden realization.

Someone was at their door.

He tensed, doing his best to prepare for whatever it was that was about to come through the door. There was no doubt in his mind that this time, he would rather die than let anything else happened to Kai. If Boris walked through that door...

Slowly, as though with trepidation or a respect for privacy, the door opened. Tala blinked against the light from the hallway, trying to pick out the figures of the shadow that stood, stooped and peering around the half open door.

It wasn't Boris, Tala realized with some degree of relief, and yet he subconsciously tightened his grip on Kai. The movement awoke Kai, who blinked sleepily and tried to raise his head from Tala's lap. He too looked towards the door, and all of the stress and pain suddenly rushed back over him.

It was one of the guards. Tala didn't know his name, or even care to, but he recognized the face. It was one of the men who had been with them only hours before, torturing and molesting Kai. He felt the boy tense further and start to shake violently.

"Get out." Tala growled. He was afraid, afraid that something was going to happen and there would be nothing he could do to stop it, but he didn't let the fear show in voice. He needed to be strong and do whatever it took to protect Kai from harm. "Get out, or I'll kill you."

The guard stepped further into the room, closing the door quietly behind him. "Stop it." he growled, just as menacingly as Tala had. "I'm not here to hurt either of you."

"Oh yeah?" Tala snapped, as Kai sat up fully and moved across the bed to get away from the door. "You had me fooled by what you did to Kai. I'm warning you. Don't come any closer."

The man scoffed. "I agree with Boris' methods. I agree that you kids need discipline and rules to become great. However," he stated, "I do not agree with what he did tonight."

Kai sat up a little straighter. One of the guards had refused to touch him, facing ridicule and possible punishment from Boris. He racked his brain, trying to remember that man's voice. Was it same person?

"That doesn't mean," the man continued, before Tala had a chance to respond, "That I agree with what the two of you are doing. Nevertheless, I'm choosing the lesser of two evils."

Tala was shocked. A part of him screamed that it had to be a trick, that no one would ever go against Boris' wishes in such a blatant way. He narrowed his eyes, trying to read what he could from the man's darkened face. He opened his mouth to respond, only to flinch and close it again as something small and heavy was tossed into his lap. He picked it up, turning the metal over in his hands and running his fingers over the cross shape.

"Your boyfriend lost that in the struggle tonight." the man explained, and Tala noted the tone of disgust at the word 'boyfriend'.

Tala could feel Kai creep closer on the bed. He reached out blindly, placing the cross carefully into Kai's groping hand.

"Thanks. You can leave now." Tala muttered, hoping that the man would just leave them alone and let them sleep. He held Kai's hand in his own, noting that the shivering had started to lessen the slightest bit. The gift must have acted as a kind of reassurance to the boy.

"I'm not finished." the man stated. "I came to tell you,"

He was cut short as the door behind him opened quickly and boldly. Standing silhouetted against the light was a figure Tala and Kai knew well. The shivering returned full force.

"Ah." Tala could almost hear the smirk in Boris' words. "I see you're already early for our next little game. "Be a good man, and hold Tala still, would you? I think it's time to get started."

* * *

_I hope this chapter was enough to satisfy you until I can update again. Now that I'm back on track with the plot, I should be able to write more easily, and thus, update faster._

_By the way, if you want to have a better idea of what I'm writing and when things are going to be posted, I usually give status updates on my LJ. (Not always, but when you hear me mention wanting to write, something is coming soon.) I also put unpublished fic there. So if you have time to kill, you can look me up. My username is Chupathinge._

_Please review, and thanks for reading!_


End file.
